this and that

Hoping Ranbir Kapoor never becomes a superstar

2011-11-12T12:32:00.005+05:30

(courtesy-breezemasti.com)

Adding to what Anupama Chopra just said a few days back that Ranbir Kapoor is one of the most exhilarating actors today, may I say that he is one of the best actors of my generation, who through every film reinvents himself (even with bad ones like anjaana anjaani) and takes it a notch higher. He does the same with Rockstar, effortlessly.I hope that he always remains an actor and never becomes superstar to just fulfill the part of being an image, where the actor gets lost. Something that seems to be the case with Shahrukh Khan.I am a fan of his. Ra.one is one of his worst. I hope he does something radically different the next time round, which happens to be Don 2.I really have no hopes on it either.

Rockstar like all of Imtiaz Ali's previous films (Socha na tha, Jab we met and Love aaj kal) is heavily flawed, but all of it sort of comes together and in the end the picture is likable.He always has this knack of writing characters that might seem very exotic on the exterior, but are eventually people whom you can relate to on different levels.Like all his previous films the story is pretty simple, in this case I thought it was too simplistic.It tries to be a love story and then suddenly seems like the story of the rise and fall of a Rockstar; its too hotch-potch and all over the place. I'm quite sure that film was edited(Aarti Bajaj) in a way that it wasn't written and that's why it really works in my view. The past, the present, the future all stitched together to form a collage with parts that are overwhelmingly good while with other parts you wish you could use something else to hide it. Just like ARR's music where Kun Faya kun has a completely different effect with the way it plays out on screen and transports you into another sphere one second and with Aur ho I wanted it to end fast and just move forward.

Nargis Fakhri looks like a dream, but she seems like a 1-2-3 actress, who will always deliver on cue, stressing on the fact that she's actually delivering a dialogue. That sort of takes away from the moment making it look like some school play. But you warm up to her by the second half. Same is the case with most of the ensemble, Moufid Aziz who plays Nargis' husband looks like he's a part of some suiting-shirting advert. I really wish Aditi Rao Hydari had something more to do, but all her attempts to rise above a poorly written character fail. Same with Shernaz Patel- why did she choose to do the film in the first place is beyond comprehension.I really hope he casts well with his next.

Parts of the film are really good (I credit that to Ranbir Kapoor, who throughout the film gives a consistent performance) but fails when it tries to be great (I credit that to Imtiaz Ali).But there's a lot of earnestness in the way the film is made and that's what is likable and overshadows all its shortcomings.

Here's the link to Grzegorz Domaradzki's work - the guy who designed the cool posters of the film and illustrated that beautiful sketch of Shammi Kapoor, which appears at the beginning of the film..

Our times at Bougainvilla

2011-10-26T17:56:00.002+05:30

They have an innate ability of looking at you, without you knowing- behind the curtains or lurking around some corner of your brain and then they catch you off guard- just like that school bully who hit you hard in your legs with an iron rod, while he claimed he was a friend helping you.

Memories and relationships wear off with time.The ones from the distant past, I mean. But sometimes they find a way to creep into your present, linger on for a day or two till you kick it off like a pariah dog.Only that they come back again.

In between all of this life happens burying everything under soft delicate layers that form over time, with a sprinkling of your favourite dark chocolate on top of it. Just like the Black forest.Except that it can be cut through and eaten off easily, with your past staring at you in the present.

A step in the right direction maybe

2011-10-22T14:31:00.002+05:30

This is probably the best thing to happen in months. My graduation project, a documentary that I made as a part of my masters program gets screened at Beskop Tshechu, a short and documentary film festival in Bhutan, tomorrow. Only if I could be there to see people's reactions and hear from them about what they thought of the film. Also going to a new country would be have been great. But in life, especially mine, things happen otherwise.Sigh.But I'm thankful to the committee for selecting my film in the non-competition category.

Its far from being a good film, but its the process that has taught me a lot. The film started off as an ode to the works of my favourite author Ruskin Bond, but changed courses mid-way and ended up being about this old woman called Krishna Devi, one of the residents of Char Dukan, Landour- a place that I've fallen in love with. So I still have that Ruskin Bond film to make.

Hope this film gets to travel to different places.

Here's the trailer: http://vimeo.com/28979007

Book Review: Sikandar, Binayak Banerjee, Translated by Soma Ghosh

2011-10-20T23:09:00.004+05:30

"But we have lost track of the original context." says one of the characters during her interaction with another in this fictionalized account of a reality show, almost echoing the readers sentiments. This comes at a point almost half way through the book and you're left dazed, wondering where the story is going. And why are you still reading it? I'm surprised at how most of the things these days have ceased to surprise me. This book seems to be one of them. You can read it and conveniently forget that you ever read something like Sikandar.

The premise is something we've grown familiar to. Thanks to the million reality shows that have invaded prime time Indian television. This book borrows its format from Big Boss/ Big Brother. There are ten players, mostly consisting of the usual suspects, who are thrown together in a house for 68 days. The one who manages to survive the eliminations by the public emerges as the Sikandar.There are a lot of things that could have been done interestingly, but the author fails to conjure up anything that's memorable.

One big problem with the book is that it is populated with too many characters (though the plot demands it) and sub plots. After reading ten pages you've forgotten the first character. Sometimes you can also mix them up conveniently without really bothering. Though these characters do have depth, it all somehow fails to add up to anything interesting and instead turns into Goulash.Also most of the characters very conveniently seem to have past connections, a little more than a coincidence which is slightly hard to believe. Call it stereotypical, but the author explores the quirks of two characters really well- the actor Kanishka Sengupta and the prostitute Lovely.

The book reminded me of The president is coming (I've only seen the film, not read the book or seen the play). But that was at least hilarious. Here all the characters talk in riddles and drown everything in philosophy, that really gets at you after a point. Probably it sounded nice in Bengali, but doesn't really work for the translation.Also, we aren't even really made aware of the game show, except that characters keep getting eliminated after every few pages.The author employs the technique telling the story through the point of view of the characters, something that was done brilliantly in Election by Tom Perrotta. This is what I ended up thinking of, making comparisons to several other things while reading it. The book could have have been many things, but it leaves you high and dry. But the language is good (though there are a few typos), not like the one in this.

You can probably read it once, that is if you really have to. Otherwise go watch the latest season of Big Boss. The latter though, would be a mind numbing exercise.

This is review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!

window by the sea

2011-10-17T14:21:00.002+05:30

She was standing by the window looking at the sea. It was like she had been instructed to stare into the distance contemplating life. It was strange that she couldn't hear the gushing of the waves.At night the same steely sea, had a lot to say, with the moist breeze unraveling sweet little mysteries of life. But now what pervaded the air, was the stench of rotting fish.

The window was the best feature of this otherwise hole in the wall of a house. It was a long room with a small kitchenette at one end and a bathroom at the other. This was the best he could afford at the moment. The sliding window with no grills offered an uninterrupted view of the life below and the sea beyond.

He sat at the small dining table scribbling something into the note pad.Suddenly staring at it, then striking off a few lines that didn't make sense to him.The past few months had been difficult, with all his work being rejected on the grounds of being banal and uninteresting.What he was writing now was describing how she was at this exact moment. But she wouldn't know.

The house was still a mess, with most of the few cartons still unpacked. He was hoping that this block would end soon, just like the in-transit look that the house bore.

Even though they seemed to inhabit the same space, they barely acknowledged it. She moved around doing things aimlessly, like he barely existed and he was oblivious to her existence. She was looking inside the shelves above the counter wondering what she could make for lunch. She got two white porcelain plates out. They looked like they had aged and were struggling to remain white.She went to keep them on the dining table and then just decided to sit on the other side in front of him staring, almost robotically. He din't seem to notice.

He knew that he was failing as a writer.Just like he had failed in life. Something that he had seen coming, just after he had finished his first book. He really did not like what he had written and tore off the sheet from the pad and threw it out of the window. The forces of nature cradled it slowly towards the sea, till it found itself in the lap of water with each word slowly fading out, while the paper was taken in.

She like many of his characters dissipated into thin air, spreading a sweet fragrance around the house, about which he wondered for a while, before he got to making some lunch for himself.

Guilty Pleasures: Aftertaste, Namita Devidayal

2011-10-06T20:18:00.001+05:30

This is not really a review, but just my thoughts after having read the book. Aftertaste is Ekta Kapoor's dream come true- a melodrama set in a baniya family that runs a sweet shop, replete with scheming mothers, daughters, daughters-in-law, dumb sons and songs.Also lots of oily food. The author also manages to pull out a final trump, with what I thought was a corny end, but it sort of fits into what I believe is an idyllic setting.

Aftertaste could almost give you an indigestion, but the author sort of works well with the written word, especially with the characters and their insecurities.I think the triumph lies in the fact that, the author herself doesn't take the story too seriously, making it a fun read for the reader as well.

I've heard a lot about Namita's debut novel The Music Room and how this is a far cry from that, so have to pick up that book.

P.S This edition of the book, has a gorgeous photograph on the cover. Wish the photographer's name was there.

Available on flipkart for 149/-

Review (of sorts): Our lady of Alice Bhatti, Mohammed Hanif

2011-10-05T12:21:00.012+05:30

I seem to be stuck in this mode of reading and reviewing books. Though I do have something of my own ( some written and some in my head), that really isn't coming through. But I promise myself that I'll have it posted by the end of this week. I'll probably blame it on the reading I've been doing constantly moving from one book to another. But that's a good thing I guess.

After having read what seemed like a school text book, Our Lady of Alice Bhatti read like Greek to me in the beginning. Kept going back to the first two chapters again and again. I have mixed feelings, after having finished reading it. I don't know if I liked it or hated it. I ordered the book owing to my obsession to read every new Pakistani author's book. It started off with Jabeen Akhtar's Welcome to Americastan ( though I really wouldn't call it Pakistani fiction), which was too familiar a premise,thanks to all the films about the Confused desis in Amreekan land.But it was good Chick-lit.

With Hanif's book you are introduced to this place you've often heard of, seeming suspiciously similar to your own, yet unseen. The book to me read like a Tarantino movie till half way through and then suddenly changed gears to become something like Marquez' Of Love and Other Demons. I think that's what I'm not comfortable with. The author's prose is so rich in detail and insight that it almost outweighs everything else there is, to the point of seeming tedious. This is probably one book I'll like for all its words and maybe for nothing else. One bit I really loved was how a gun shot by one of the characters creates a domino effect throughout the city that lasts for three days. Hanif also has this ability of looking through things for all their stupidity in a larger scheme, leaving you cracked up at all the odd moments. The story keeps moving back and forth in time, taking you into the psyche of characters giving you little details which leave you in awe, just to come back to the present to tell you that you've been conned.

The book at the best could be described as a deep study of odd characters making their way through bizarre situations. It tells the Story of Alice Bhatti from the time she's out of the Borstal, while she manages to secure a job at the Sacred Heart as a nurse, marry Teddy Butt- a bodybuilder cum goon cum everything else he can do to earn money; brings back the dead to life and almost becomes a saint among other things. Mad mad book, do read!

Next onto Namita Devidayal's Aftertaste. I really picked it up for that gorgeous photograph on its cover.

Book Review: The (in)eligible bachelors, Ruchita Misra

2011-09-30T12:37:00.006+05:30

I hope that after posting this particular review I don't have to bear the wrath of the author and the readers ( some of them who've gone to claim that this is 'the best by an Indian author so far'). Sorry to burst the bubble, but this book is downright terrible. Not to sound desperate in the-i-beg-to-differ way, but I can rightfully say so after having read quite a lot of books- some good, some bad. But this just doesn't fall into any of the above mentioned categories.

With all due respect to the author, I know how difficult writing can be, but this is just a lame excuse for a book. I'm sure that books like this actually have takers, so I can't really complain. But I at least don't want to read gazillion other books that are wannabe Chetan Bhagats.Its all because of this man. Though I did like his five point someone, but then everything he has written after that has a 'I want to be made into a film' sticker on it and this book to say the least tries very hard to do the same. So much for New Indian writing (though I don't want to generalise).

Reading the blurb, you know that its the same old story where a mother is after her daughter's life to get married and settle down and all that jazz. You hope that it'll be a nice light read, with lots of humor (cos if you don't have a new story, at least say it well). But then all you get is a juvenile fifteen year old's burn book. And there's no sleaze also (yes, I am a dirty man.). The most funniest bit in the book, if I am say so, is when our protagonist's name gets made fun of by one of the prospective grooms when he breaks into "Kasturi methi, ya degi mirach.." All I could do was croak, instead of laugh out loud.

The book could have really been a witty and wry take on this custom of ours where girls and if may also add guys, have to endure this process of arranged meetings till you find Mr./Ms. right, but this just another diary of self-obsessed person.All the characters read like cardboard cutouts, the author just doesn't seem to have explored anything beyond the most obvious and the story is highly predictable. There's nothing you feel for any of the characters as a reader, heck! even the excruciatingly beautiful leading lady(There!Now I've almost started looking at it as a film.). And to top it all- the glaring grammatical errors-what were the editors at Rupa & Co. doing? Plus they really design bad covers.

I hope that something better comes from the author the next time, in case this is not just a fad that all business school graduates seem to have caught on to these days.

P.S All the words in bold italics are the authors words, not mine, which I thought were extremely helpful in filling up space and increasing the word count to 500.

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!

Lists: the after effects of getting back home after two years and being clueless about where to begin

2011-09-28T19:06:00.006+05:30

I've finally decided to write about the most boring things of my uneventful life.I wish I could be a little more articulate or witty, but I think I'll choose to be banal because that's what I am.

My life at the moment seems to be full of endless lists. No work seems to have taken place in the past three weeks (which also includes getting a job), thanks to my procrastinating (I finally get to use the word! :D) over several things that need to be done a.s.a.p, but I love sitting on this ass of mine and daydream of this and that.

The only good thing that seems to have come out of all of this is that I've started reading regularly and more like a maniac.thanks to flipkart, I'm ordering at least two books every week. But then I've been giving step motherly treatment to certain books in my little green trunk, (for what I would like to think) for years.So the first list- the books that I will hopefully finish reading in this lifetime:( from my collection)

Life of Pi- this has been there too long(read seven years) on my list and I can't get beyond the first 15 pages. I just cant.
Midnight's Children- Have not had it for so long, OK maybe for 2 years. But this is better than previous one, because I read 100 pages and lost track of everything that was happening.
Possession- A book someone suggested. Can't read it beyond page 1. Though I really like what's written in the blurb, I've some failed to read this book.
The unbearable lightness of being- Another book that was got as a part of a course in college, that I've just not read.
Pride and Prejudice- I seem to know everything about this story (thanks to the BBC TV series), but again, I haven't read this 'classic' beyond a few pages.

There are lots of other books as well, but I think I'm running out of patience trying to list them down here. Hopefully they get ticked off within the next few days or months or maybe years.

But then, I've really been liking what I've read in the past few days:

A good school, Richard Yates: I'd never really read American literature and I jumped at it, because the premise sounded interesting. Autobiographical in nature, it talks about the life in a boys prep school during the pre-war years. Thought I liked it, the book to me seemed a little too bland.But the style of writing is interesting and I can't wait to read Revolutionary road, which was adapted into a brilliant film by Sam Mendes.
Bombay Duck is a Fish, Kanika Dhillon: The only reason I remotely even like this book is because of its ending. The rest of the book seems trite giving all the dirty details of the Hindi film Industry. It almost felt like all of Madhur Bhandarkar's films combined together. Though the author does show some flashes of brilliance in bits, this book at least needs 5 more edits.
Winter's bone, Daniel Woodrell: The only reason I picked up this book, was because I had seen the film adaptation and not understood a thing of it plus I was getting something that costed 300 bucks for 50. There can be nothing more depressing and as dry as this book is. Though likable in parts, I at least hope not to re-read it in the next 10 years.
Election, Tom Perrotta: This is a book that I thought was as good as the film. I found myself laugh out loud in several parts of the book. Set in a High School during the student body elections, with all the characters biting each others head off in conniving ways. Brilliant book and a quick read at that.
Welcome to Americastan, Jabeen Akhtar: New in the series of Emerging Pakistani writing, Akhtar's book is wry take on the A.B.C.D. Though not the most innovative of stories or plot, the way the main character Samira navigates through all that she has to go through, is what makes the book fun. Made for a good weekend read.
Freedom song, Amit Chaudhari: Another book I picked up from a street vendor in Ahmedabad. Frankly I was quite surprised with what I read. Set in 90's India, the book is like a mood piece flitting between characters and families through seasons of change(internal and external). Amit Chaudhari's prose is lyrical. Another author whose books I need to get hold of.

Next on my list of books: Mohammed Hanif's Our girl of Alice Bhatti and Gulzar's Raavi paar and other stories. Can't wait to start reading them!

Other things that include on my to do list:

Finish a photo book on Gandhi Ashram- this hasn't been happening for the past two years. Hope to complete this in the next few days and strike it off my list for once.
Write- I don't know what- a script or a story, but I need to write!
Make another short film and this time hopefully a short fiction.
Do another photography project on 'the things that my mother got'.

2011-09-25T19:02:00.000+05:30

I need to write. But just can't get myself to. :/ Have been procrastinating over it for weeks. What to do?

The changing language of Cinema

2011-04-03T14:53:00.001+05:30

This was first published here.

Advances in technology in several fields, have changed the way we live and deal with things in day to day life. And adding the word ‘digital’ ahead of it, takes it to another level altogether. Digital technology seems to be the norm of the day with the internet, television and in some places- robots, taking over our lives. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that we are slaves to the internet, with sites like facebook, twitter, orkut (something that almost seems passé now) taking up brain space all day long- with people constantly updating their statuses or have something funny to say or keeping in touch with friends/ family who are away. They call it social networking- being there, by actually not being there.

That’s where one part of digital technology is branching towards, with several other things shooting up every other day- internet banking, the way we cook (microwave), the security-surveillance systems we use and the list is endless. With my essay I would be talking about how digital technology has influenced the way cinema was/ is being made and the way we view it. I would primarily be concentrating on the use of digital technology used in the making of a ‘blockbuster’, on how it has influenced the slowly emerging independent film scene, the internet being a platform to exhibit films, and how social networking sites play a role in promoting a film.

THE BLOCKBUSTER PHENOMENON

Through the History of Cinema, there have been significant advances in technology, which have played a major role in making films what they are. Gone are the days when live action films like ‘Jurassic Park’ or even those 2D animation films that would come out once in a blue moon. Though this 1993 sci-fi thriller is considered a landmark, especially with the use of computer generated imagery, films like this are almost made at the drop of the hat these days-Something that has become a trend in the west at least, if not in India with an occasional Rajnikanth film like Endhiran-that heavily used CGI; with several studios churning out sci-fi, fantasy films Harry Potter, Lord of the rings trilogy, the Narnia trilogy and even dramas like The Curious case of Benjamin Button, with digital technology playing a major role in creating a whole new experience, for the maker and viewer as well.

It is mostly the director’s vision that dictates the kind of technology that is developed for a film. Something that seems to have been the case with Spielberg’s ‘Jurassic Park’-with 25 months going into pre-production, developing the computer generated animatic of the dinosaurs and year of production and post-production. The same doesn’t seem to be the case with Spielberg’s counterpart James Cameron who after making ‘Titanic’ in 1997- a film of epic proportions, which again involved a lot of Computer technology wanted to make ‘Avatar’ back then, but couldn’t because of the insufficient technology. It took him almost 15 years to realise a film of a scale as magnificent as this- while he made documentaries about the underwater world and was himself involved in co-developing a 3D Camera system.

It is also important to state that, the technology used in these films were not just for the sake of it. The technology used for such films is mostly driven by the story, its characters, the world they live in- trying to create everything different from what we know as ‘real’. For James Cameron to create a ‘Pandora’ set in the future, with the tribe of Na`vi species inhabiting it- the use of the high-end technology which went into the making of the film seems to be justified, when we as an audience get to see and experience the director’s vision.

INDEPENDENT CINEMA AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

A search on ‘Cinema going digital’ on the internet of yields results pertaining to the development of the new age High Definition (HD) Cameras- their superiority over the traditional film based cameras in terms of image quality and affordability, the relatively affordable professional editing software which can be used on inexpensive PC’s or how easy it has become to exhibit films through satellite and other digital projection systems. These advances surely seem to have been a boon to independent film-makers. Technology has disguised itself under many ‘Avatars’, especially with the different kinds of stories being presented- not every film being an Avatar or a Jurassic park.

It also seems to have made making such films seem possible, reasonable and affordable, alongside mainstream cinema. Again, a trend which seems to have made its presence felt, for what seems as eons in the west, independent films are slowly if not steadily catching up on the Indian cinema front. With small films making it big this year (2010), making independent films seems like a safe bet these days- albeit you have a story to tell in an interesting way; with most of them not involving too much production costs and profits are also usually more than marginal, if not, recurring production costs.

Quoting from my own experience, on an independent film I was part of, called Good night|Good morning, directed by Journalist-film-maker Sudhish Kamath. As to how the idea for the film came up is an interesting story in itself. All of it owed to because of a HD camera bought by Sudhish’s friend, who also happens to be the Cinematographer for the film- who suggested that they make a film, since a camera was in hand. After much deliberation, they struck upon the idea of making a film on just two people having a conversation over the phone- something that did not need a big budget- one of Sudhish’s Concerns.

But what makes it even more interesting is the treatment- with ninety percent of the film being a split screen- with the two principle characters being in different places over the phone (The most challenging part to shoot- as one actor would feed the lines from the other side of the line, and the other actor had to react and in turn act in front of the camera.) and most of it being in black and white giving it a 50’s film feel. To add to the premise, was the place where it was set- New Year’s Eve in New York.

Most of the film being set indoors- One part in a hotel room and the other part inside a car- They (director-cinematographer) shot footage of New York during new year’s eve, that would be used as cutaways to establish the setting, and the rest of the film was shot in India, mostly indoors with the two principle characters. What is also interesting about the film, is how technology has defined relationships in the modern age, with the two main characters not being physically together, but just having a conversation over their ‘mobile phones’ and not seeing each other. The final product may not be a masterpiece, but is a fine film- which works because of the writing, the actors and everything else which went into machining it- an experiment which seems to work for the right reasons. Whether the film works out ‘commercially’, is something that remains to be seen.

Even around the world, in Countries like Argentina or Tunisia for that matter, there are small films being made owing to the digital revolution. Argentinean Director Diego Fried’s latest film, ‘Vino’ (Wine), which is doing the rounds of all the major festivals around the Country was made at a ‘low’ budget of $2000 and shot within 8 days using a HD camera, in the director’s apartment and post production done using the facilities at the Universidad del Cine. ‘Wine’ again has only two characters, in a very intimate setting and is a story about relationships, with the director helming the actor’s hat as well.

Also the above mentioned films have a running time of just a little more than an hour, a trend catching on owing to the short attention spans, of the Internet generation, where everything happens within the blink of an eye. So the stories are extremely detailed in terms of dialogue, writing, imagery- but in ways that it does not increase the running time of the film, keeping it tight and crisp. The audience clearly don’t possess the patience of sitting through two intermissions and three and half hours of Hum Aapke Hain Koun anymore.

THE ALTERNATIVE

If you don’t get to release your film commercially, i.e. in theatres, the internet seems to be the next best option-what seems to have been the Case with Nina Paley’s 2008 feature animation film ‘Sita Sings the blues’.

Written, directed, produced and animated- all of it done by her- Sita sings the blues- a ‘home-made’ film - is the labour of five years of hard work by Paley. Nina Paley was inspired to make the film, after she split with her husband and found parallels with her own story and the Ramayana. The film uses several styles (four, majorly) of animation, primarily 2D Computer graphics and flash animation. The film is interspersed with musical episodes from the Ramayana- with Sita the protagonist singing to Annette Hanshow’s Jazz numbers to express herself, with a commentary from three traditional shadow puppets with important episodes from the Ramayana resembling the miniature style of painting, along with a contemporary parallel, from the film-maker’s own life- all distinct from each other, yet making a complete whole.

The film had to go through a few glitches in the beginning, because of copyright issues. Several of the copyright issues pertained to the use of Annette Hanshaw’s songs in the film. Though Nina Paley paid the heavy license fee of $70,000 to make the film legal, she chose to release the film for free download on the internet instead of a commercial release, by choice and principle- and not because of copyright infringement that seems to be a misconception. Quoting Nina Paley- “From the shared culture it came, to the shared culture it goes”.

Though not a ‘hit’ in the traditional sense, where it set the cash registers ringing, Sita sings the blues, is still a big hit on the net, with its viewership increasing everyday. Paley has made money through voluntary payments, ancillary products- like merchandise, sponsorships and limited DVD sales.

The internet is soon growing to be a viable platform to showcase films, with several portals mushrooming up everyday- Youtube, Vimeo being major playgrounds where several aspiring and amateur film-makers exhibit their short films and videos. Dingora- another recent film portal, especially for Indian independent film-makers provides a platform to exhibit their films, with the audience being charged a nominal fee to view them. To be a successful film-maker, one need not follow the often taken path of making a film and releasing it in theatres for people to view it. Its also about being smart and using alternative outlets to exhibit the film, which seem to be lucrative as well.

The accessibility to a medium like film now, seems to be fairly more than before, where anybody can explore the medium of film-making now. All you need is an interesting story to tell, a fairly good quality camera, basic editing software that runs on an inexpensive PC or laptop and then you upload it onto the net for people to watch. These portals allow you to experience firsthand the reactions of the audience to your video/film, with their comments and a tab on actually how many people are viewing it. In several ways, it is a good way to start off with, in case you are an amateur film-maker who wants to be in the field one day or just a cinephile that happens to dabble with the medium. It surely is a way, if you’re passionate about the medium and don’t want to involve the money factor to make your film.

RIDING THE BANDWAGON

Internet portals like Youtube and several of the social networking sites, primarily facebook being the main player, are used as communication tools for films. Films too are riding high on the social networking bandwagon.

A film-maker who seems to have made the best out of the social networking site Facebook is Onirban Dhar, for his film I AM. The film was financed by donations from over 400 people around the world. The film is a collection of four shorts, predominantly based on social issues like child abuse, Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code and the legalisation of homosexuality, the plight of Kashmiris and choosing to be a single parent through in-vitro fertilisation.

Any big or small film uses them as platforms to pitch themselves, owing to almost half the world using them every second, with the production companies pulling no stops in promoting their product. And with twitter- the ‘new’ cool networking site to be on, with some of the film celebrities themselves being on it, gives them and the audience a chance to be on the same platform- even if it means that the celebrities don’t actually respond to the audience’s appreciation or lack of it for a film of theirs.

THE CLASSIC

Irrespective of how a film is made now- whether on celluloid or a High Definition camera, a film becomes a classic because of it content, the way the story is told, its treatment. But the notion of a classic has changed over time, with different kinds of films being made. Sometimes its also questionable as to how a film becomes a classic- For example Gone with the Wind-another ‘classic’ of epic proportions, but something the present generation really doesn’t have the patience to sit through, unless you are a serious film enthusiast. With the development of technology over a period of time and with different kinds of film being made, ranging from a no budget film to a blockbuster, for a film to be a classic, it doesn’t have to always be big and epic like.

Making films in today’s age or being a part of the film-making business is surely an option that is more accessible than before, and something that seems to be on par with several other fields.

Glass

2010-11-22T19:42:00.001+05:30

Its always about the larger picture and never about the small things that go into making it.Sounds familiar right?

He was called the 'memory collector' of the town.Not someone who was always lurking at the corner to snatch away memories from people, but more like a friend, who saved them up in little glass jars, to reduce the pain that certain memories gave.

of rains and other small things

2010-08-03T22:56:00.000+05:30

Sometimes its funny of how you can come up with titles for posts, and just not know what to write.

SUPERSTAR

2010-06-27T19:56:00.003+05:30

a page from the little notebook

2010-06-24T20:06:00.003+05:30

Life seemed like an organised mess to him.Every problem coiled up, stuffed one above the other.The only 'problem' was, he never really knew what these problems were.The problems came in different colours.While mostly they were black, occasionally they appeared in blue, while once it was green, like the one a fading sketch pen would be.

Of the stupid things you do in life

2010-06-24T19:41:00.012+05:30

My brain has been doing this flashback thing for the past few days and been replaying this one incident, for I do not know what reason.Here I am, typing it.Even though, I think that its not a thing to be posted.

Not so long ago( 1 year and 2 months to be precise), with dreams in my eyes, I came/ went to National Institute of Design,Ahmedabad to attend the second round of tests to qualify in the Film &Video Communication program.I was extremely happy that Anoodha, Sandhya and I- the three best friends( : D) made it together till there.Just one more step and I would be there pursuing my dreams of becoming a film-maker.Which obviously did not happen.The other two did get in though( happy for them).But this is not what I wanted to write about.

It was that 'wonderful' interview in the second round- where they ask you questions like- what makes you happy?what is the distance of xx from xx? What was the pilot's name in the flight you just got here? and other such things.I obviously screwed it up, with four people( which included a psychologist- who would throw happiness sadness question at a sly) in the panel, shooting random questions.I giggled, I laughed, said uncountable number of I don't knows to half the questions, which were shot faster than a bullet at me.I almost died sitting in that chair.

To top it all, which brings us to the 'of the stupid things you do in life' part of the post, I wore this black t-shirt which said- Mary had a little lamb- and the doctor was amazed- with a picture of a pregnant Mary on it.Actually I hadn't given it much thought before wearing it.I was a fool for sure. Obviously, how could the guys miss the t-shirt."Make up a story with what is on your shirt" they said.I do not know what the hell I was thinking or not thinking, and these were the exact words that came out of my mouth- "There was woman called Mary.She slept with a lamb.Got pregnant.Gave birth to something that was a cross between a human and lamb".(How could she do it with a lamb?all my creativity and intelligence gone for a toss.I can think of such witty stories now.Damn!) That would have so made them think that I'm disturbed, especially the psychologist( who I'm not sure was in the room at that moment or not) I cringe at myself thinking about it. I wish had run away from there that moment.But I sat there grinning, answering other questions, like a FOOL- like everything was smooth sailing and good.Until the results came out.

The perils of growing up

2010-06-18T23:44:00.006+05:30

Sometimes life seems like a badly edited film.At times its long and overdrawn, full of boredom, even though you have a thousand things to do.But somehow sitting glum and complaining seem like better options. Or its full of jump cuts, not giving you a second to even look back at what you just did. How I wish, my life was perfectly paced- where I could be the director and EDITOR, where I could keep replaying certain moments.Have that perfect song playing to blaring noise levels( to the others) in the background.And obviously the bad moments just get chopped off mercilessly.khhchaack!Just like that

Of late I've begin to observe little things.Mostly pointless things.Something which has begun to disturb me. At this moment I almost sound like one of those chicken-soup-for-the-whatever-soul type writers to myself.My endless journeys to the other end of city( 45 minutes in a bus, where assholes are always trying to steal your cellphone,till midway+ another 45 minutes on a share auto) in the past few weeks, has well..made me a better observer of things around me.Like just the other day, while the share auto stopped at the signal, I caught myself staring into a car, where a mother was driving her little daughter back from school.The little one wanted to open a packet of wafers, she was holding.While the mother was forcing a piece of idly down her throat, from her unfinished tiffin box.Obviously the daughter just got it out of her mouth like all kids do.And then the car just drove off. This one of those pointless stories from my long drawn life, which was not my point anyway.

Sometimes I wish, that I just remained a kid.Growing up, with it just gets chemicals that lead to a never ending chain reaction, which finally ends in a horrible explosion, through which you'll have to live, with side-effects of course.Why do we have to grow? and then deal with people, with assholes as well and then people have expectations from you, you have expectations from people, you are supposed to act a certain way, and then you need to fulfill all the standard requirements of being the son,which could also mean that you probably won't do what you actually wish to do and end up doing something else which you don't like, and then going all the way back and proving that they were wrong and you were right.This is how my head is muddled up with thoughts.

This is me, doing what I do best. whining.

P.S God is a bad editor.Sometimes.

where do I start from?

2010-06-18T19:31:00.001+05:30

Too many thoughts, creating a jam in my head.Do not know where to begin. : / Or rather how to begin.

An ode

2010-04-13T16:40:00.000+05:30

She suddenly woke up from her slumber which seemed like a year long.She instantly knew that she had to kill Bill.The first illogical step towards it would be to rob the central bank, off Mattison Avenue.But then, her whole body felt numb, and she had to prepare dinner before Max got back.

Having no time to waste, she first prepared a meal of green pea soup, Crunchy salad with walnuts in a tangy dressing, Penne in tomato basil and brownies for dessert.All of it neatly packed into air tight containers, and stored in the refrigerator.

To get to the exciting bit of the story.Well, it wasn't that exciting.She sailed through it all too smoothly.She got an old ski mask from the garage to cover her beautiful scarless face, two guns from the secret closet- fully loaded and drove in her yellow pussy wagon to the bank.

From here the details go missing.The writer was almost killed spying on her.All he remembers is that the bank was robbed in 10 minutes and 15 seconds.How she did it, is something he finds difficult to comprehend.

In the mean while, she was back in time for dinner with Max, dressed up in a black gown and pearls.But then, tomorrow would be the day she would kill Bill.

Life-As I saw it...

2010-02-18T21:10:00.000+05:30

2 years 3 months 4 days 5 hours 6 minutes and 7 seconds. That's how long I hadn't cried. A minute, and that's when I began to weep, that slowly it turned into uncontrollable howling, and then I made a fool of myself. By tripping.That was the story of my life.

No wait.There's more to it.

The Happening

2010-02-04T16:36:00.000+05:30

In a time when everything seemed to be at unrest, in a place far away from ours, where the river flowed slowly and time moved at a languorous pace, there was a happening which caused a hullabaloo. In this otherwise sleepy place, where people actually did no work and enjoyed drinking tea all day long owing to the hide and seek the sunlight played, what Rashid achieved was a feat of sorts.

In times, such as these

2010-01-23T22:47:00.003+05:30

He sank into the chair.Slowly, sleep descended on him.

It seemed like any other day.The Sun, obviously rose from the east.The birds chirped like they usually did.Even he looked the same, while he stood in front of the mirror.Nothing had changed, yet things seemed different.

She seemed to move through the day like a programmed robot.She went about the chores, like she always did.She spoke to no one,just furiously typed into the computer.Even had her lunch alone.But then, she never owed anyone an explanation.

But one day their paths would clash.No,it wasn't like they were about to spend the rest of their lives together.It would just be a way in which the powers of destiny would prove their existence and would tangle each other into a scheme of things, that were, well, difficult to explain.

wings of fire

2010-01-19T11:50:00.005+05:30

Trapped he was in a scheme of things that were perfectly planned or rather organised, just like the Germans did.The forces of nature could do nothing to save him.Trapped.

But little did they know of what was to come.In what seemed like wrong and impossible to others, he simply took off that instant. Took off to the lands he always wanted to see, with no destiny set, just to explore a world inside the world he was living in.For some strange reason even the harsh winds favoured him.So did all the other things, which we call nature.

Just when it felt that it was for real, he realised it was all but a dream.

No wait, it was for real.:)

Up in the air

2010-01-17T14:27:00.003+05:30

She stood there leaning by the parapet.Gushes of winter air blowing on her face, she looked at the evening sky painted in brilliant hues of pink and orange, with little specks fuchsia, blue,green and all other colours you could think of added by the kites that almost seemed like they were being choreographed in unison by the hundreds of hands flying them.

In that one instant everything changed, just like the flying lanterns which suddenly appeared, lighting up the darkening sky.

He stood there, a few steps behind her not quite knowing whether it was the right thing being there.

2010-01-16T11:12:00.002+05:30

2010-01-11T13:55:00.001+05:30

Broken silences

2010-01-11T12:16:00.001+05:30

They both sat there awkwardly waiting for the coffees they had just ordered.He fiddling with his cellphone.She found comfort in listening to the sounds around her, staring away into the distance through the glass window.They spoke a million things through the silences they shared.The coffees came in the mean while.

They both got into the car.He started the car and asked her,'where do we go?'

The science of floating

2010-01-09T23:21:00.002+05:30

It engulfed me, slowly seeping into me through the pores of my skin.I floated.I floated through the misty air like a light weightless being, slowly rising above making my way into the clear skies.

It wasn't like what I had thought it would be.While I did have that weird feeling in my stomach, the joy was rather overwhelming,snatching away my attention from other things.

Tea amongst other things

2010-01-08T21:46:00.008+05:30

In the mean while she made some tea.One cup for herself, and the other for him.She set the water to boil in an old kettle.As it boiled she added the tea leaves.They soaked in slowly, giving a reddish tinge to the concoction.The light aroma of Castleton tea wafted through the air, bringing back memories.

She poured the black tea into the cups, set on a tray along with a bowl of sugar cubes.She kept it on the small table in the verandah and sat there waiting for him.

When time stood still

2010-01-07T23:02:00.001+05:30

There was music, and then there was silence.And music again.In between all of this, he din't realise that life played its own symphony.As soft as the first rays of the morning sun.As tranquil as the sound of water that flowed splashing against the little rocks.

SEMIOTICS AND FILMS

2009-12-31T11:49:00.014+05:30

Analysis of the opening sequence of the film Mithya

Objective

To analyze the opening sequence of the film, breaking it down into scenes, and identifying the core of the sequence which holds it together.

The core of the sequence is the ‘struggle’ of the protagonist, who is trying to make it into films.

How this struggle is brought out in the different scenes, through the use of various codes – like metaphors, colours, connotations etc is what has been analyzed.

About the film in Brief

Mithya tells the story of VK (Ranvir Shorey), an aspiring actor in the city of Mumbai. His monotonous life of struggle is given a sudden jolt, when chosen by a don’s (a lookalike) rival to act in ‘real’ life as the don, shattering his ‘reel’ life aspirations, slowly sucking him into a whirlpool of underworld gang wars. Rajat Kapoor gives ‘Bollywood’ cinema a new twist in this drama of reality versus fiction.

Theory used in analysing the sequence

In order to realize the objective, Ferdinand De Saussure’s theory of structuralism has been adopted.
The whole sequence has been analysed a complex system of inter-related parts. The parts being the scenes which constitute the sequence. Each scene in itself being an individual system, which combine together to form a meaningful whole.
Only one aspect of his theory has been delved into, which is the two-part model of the sign.
Anything can be a sign as long as it has been interpreted as signifying something- referring to or standing for something.(Pierce)* Symbols are not proxy for their objects but are vehicles for the conception of objects.(Susan Langer)*
The use of connotations in certain scenes of the sequence has also been analysed. Connotations are not purely personal meanings. They are determined by the codes to which the interpreter has access to.(Kaja Silverman 1983)*

Concepts that have been analysed

Relevance of the sequence in the film.
Metaphors- An imaginative way used to represent or stand for something else.
Establishment of the characters.
Notion of popular Hindi cinema- ‘Bollywood clichés’
Significance of colours.
Mood graph of the sequence- does it build the mood to continue, or change to something else?
Pace and rhythm of the sequence.

Analysis

The opening sequence is a montage, showing us the goings-on in the life of a struggling actor. A fact which gets established with a series of events.
From playing an extra in a film, to dubbing for an animation film, to waiting to meet a director, till rejection. The character and the situation are established well in the first few reels.
The director incorporates clichés, associated with popular Hindi cinema (‘Bollywood’):
The protagonist struggling to make it into the films in the bad city of Mumbai.
The quintessential ‘item number’, which suddenly appears-But in this case actually taking the film forward.
The struggling actor out of rejection and dismay, settling with a whisky quarter by the sea.
The beaten to death concept of the humshakal or the look alike.
The entire film is laden with such clichés, mostly associated with formulaic films. The director very intelligently puts them into life-like (read realistic) situations. Therefore the name Mithya-‘fiction’.
This juxtaposition of reality and fiction can be seen in the entire film, while some sequences seem realistic, the others are loudly fictional.
The film also clearly steers away from getting categorised into genres, something popular with Indian cinema.
While the whole film cannot be categorised into one genre, it shifts from being a dark comedy to a drama to a tragedy.

Relevance of the sequence

The opening sequence is the most important part of the film, as it not only establishes the protagonist and other characters, but also sets the stage, around which the rest of the plot revolves.

A scene by scene analysis of the sequence

Scene 1

‘Bollywood’ films

The first scene is that of a film being shot replete with all the ingredients for a pot boiler -scene in a bar, with drunken men dancing with women, with a song playing in the background, and a gunshot with bloodshed.-A common phenomenon in our ‘action’ films.

We are introduced to the protagonist VK, where he is seen as a small part in a larger scheme of things.

Another aspect that is brought out in the scene is that, even though the protagonist is just an extra in the film, he is still bothered whether he’s got his act right or not.

Scene 2

This scene brings out the fact that VK is keen on reaching stardom, with the kinds of demands he makes.It also clearly indicates that, VK is trying to climb the social ladder of the film industry.

Scene 3
‘Hierarchy’

The scene starts off with the camera moving from right to left over a series of graphic images of Kishore Kumar’ the comedian’, Amitabh Bachchcan ‘The angry young man’ Nargis ‘Mother India’ another actor, and then moves down to VK ‘the struggler/extra’.

All of them superstars, (something our protagonist wants to be) in their own right, who were strugglers at one point, trying to make it into films.

Also, the scene becomes a commentary on how we’ve not moved on over these icons and still prefer worshipping larger than life images.

‘A struggler’s life

In this scene, we see that our protagonist is trying to open his broken umbrella, struggling with it, being pushed by the forceful wind and rain, while all the other people seem to be frolicking and moving around smoothly.

The scene becomes an indication that while everyone else is having it easy, our struggling actor struggles to find a foothold in life.

Scene 4
‘A method actor’

This scene establishes the fact that VK is a trained actor, possibly a theatre actor, who would probably remember the lines in his sleep as well.

A fact which gets established, as VK mouths the same lines from Hamlet, at two other points in the film.

The voice of the neighbour in the background, shows how acting is still not considered a ‘profession’ in India, and is reduced to nautanki.

Scene 5

‘The preparatory act’

Though the scene seems less important in the beginning, it becomes significant after viewing the next scene.

VK is seen here going to salon, probably to make himself presentable before meeting a film-maker. Something that is considered important in an industry where looks are considered primary to acting skills.

Also, the way the shot is composed- with the protagonist occupying one corner, and three fourth of the frame occupied with the surrounding and two other characters, gives us a sense that VK is just another person in a crowd who’s been cornered, yet trying to rise above it.

Scene 6
‘The item number’

The set is that of an airport.VK comes to meet the director, while a song sequence is being canned, but is not allowed to meet him.

He slyly makes his way in with a group of workers carrying a prop inside. The prop is an aeroplane wing.

The set of the airport and the aeroplane wing act as a set of metaphors, signifying that VK is waiting for his acting career to take off.

Scene 7

‘The awakening slap’

The sound of the slap, combined with the previous scene, acts as a metaphor, almost telling VK to get up from his dreams of making an acting career and face reality.

In contrast to this, as soon as VK wakes up, the first thing he can think of is shooting for a film, which brings out his incessant spirit.

Scene 8

‘Rejection...maybe?’

The scene is very open ended, leaving it to us to interpret it.

While at one end it seems like VK is questioning rejection, probably from a film maker; or maybe it is trying to show us the frustration VK is going through, going from pillar to post, for his acting career to take off.

Scene 9

‘A method actor again’

This scene is again successful in reinstating the fact that VK is trained, believes in underplaying a character, while he is seen lending his voice to the animated characters.

The makers want him to do it again, citing that there is no ‘emotion’; ‘feel’ in his act, which in a way indicates the fact that they want him to add more drama to it.

It also becomes a commentary, on how we’ve evolved to like everything dramatic (read mediocre), that we also want ‘cartoons’ to follow suit.

Although VK does the job out of lack of work and money, he does it with full dedication.

Scene 10

Another common scene seen in Indian films, where the hero out of rejection and dismay, settles to drinking by the sea.

It also shows that how we Indian consumers are always lured by things that come free with the products we buy.

Scene 11

The most important scene in the sequence, where the revelation of the look alike happens.

The look alike seems to be a gangster.

Again, the black car which slowly stops in the background acts as a metaphor, signifying that trouble is on its way in VK’s life.

Also, the film is slowly shown shifting genres. The sequence till this point seems like a black comedy, and then suddenly feels like a gangster drama.

Scene 12

‘Life turns upside down’

This scene culminates the sequence, where we see that VK is running for dear life, not knowing what to do and where to go.

The whole scene has a very sinister quality to it, most of it which is lent by the background score and the camera work.

In one shot we see VK running, and the road ahead of him unwinding to the side, showing us the uncertainty, not knowing what his plight could be.

Almost echoing this, the scene shifts to another shot, where a bird is shown (frantically, almost) flying over the sea, with the Mumbai skyline in the background, something similar to what is happening to VK.

The use of colours in the sequence

Blue and red are the most prominent colours which have been used in varying degrees throughout the sequence.
The colour blue could be interpreted as signifying VK’s life, where almost every day of his life is a ‘blue’, always with uncertainty looming around, while the colour red could signify passion, anger, frustration.
Both are dark brooding colours; yet give the movie a very distinctive look in terms of aesthetics.
In certain scenes the colours are also used to connote something.
In the second scene, the shot showing someone wearing a shirt with the print of the American flag over it shows how unoriginal we are and obsessed with aping the west.

It could also be that, the director is making a mockery of how for a ‘Hollywood’ in USA, we have a ‘Bollywood’ in India.
In the item number sequence the dancers, the choreographer, the director etc are seen wearing flashy blue coloured clothes. A general perception that everything in the film industry is glitzy and breezy.
To contrast this, VK is seen wearing a dull blue shirt, where he is overshadowed by all the flashiness around. A world he might not be able to enter.

Mood graph of the sequence

In the beginning of the sequence, the mood that sets in is monotonous and flat, as we are just taken through the everyday happenings of the protagonist’s life.
In the last few minutes, it is pitched to a high, which is unanticipated, when the look alike is revealed to the audience, there’s a shootout, and the protagonist starts running for his life.
The director, throughout the film makes use of this pattern, where everything seems normal to the point of mundane, and suddenly introduces something that lends a shock value.

Pace of the sequence

The pace of the film is slow in the first few reels, as the protagonist is introduced and his character is being established.
Once the character is defined, the whole rhythm of the sequence changes and the pace is given a sudden jolt.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Semiotics for beginners-Daniel Chandler

http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/semiotic.html

How to read a film – The world of movies, media, and multimedia-Language, History, TheoryBy James Monaco with diagrams by David Lindroth Third Edition, Oxford University Press, 2000.

Mithya -Year of release: 2008 Director: Rajat Kapoor

MAPPING TEEN DARWAAZA

2009-12-30T18:01:00.005+05:30

NOTES ON ANDY WARHOL

2009-12-30T14:22:00.012+05:30

I don’t know where the artificial stops and the real starts.

-Andy Warhol

The beginning.

My first encounter with Andy Warhol or rather his kind of art was a blue black t-shirt I bought years back, with a (now extremely popular) print of the iconic Cuban revolutionist Che Guevara. What attracted me towards it were not Che Guevara’s communist teachings, but the striking graphic print, or just the fact that how so much could be told through the use of just two colours. Little did I know then, that it was ‘Pop Art’ and least did I know of the existence of Andy Warhol. This t-shirt till date remains a prized possession in my wardrobe.

My second encounter with him was this little badge my friend got back from London, with the iconic banana painting on it, his name below it. Only that this time, I mistook him to be a woman.

From then till now, there has been some mysterious quality about his work that has drawn me towards it. Superficially, it might be those bright colours that almost burn your eyes. But that ‘something’ about his body of work that I’m still unable to define, remains a quest, which just seems to have begun.

In trying to draw parallels between the work of Andy Warhol and myself, I understand that I am inspired by his work. Again, superficially! The fact that each of us is from a different time zone, I might never understand, why he did, whatever he did. Though there are answers, readily available- some real, some fabricated. But in trying to emulate his style of work, I’ve found answers, to suit my convenience.

The best part about trying to interpret an artist’s work is that, nothing can be right or wrong. But in knowing what led to it, helps us in giving a concrete shape to our interpretations. Through this piece of writing I hope to touch a few aspects of his work.

‘Pop Art’ as defined by everyone, was a visual art movement that emerged in the mid 1950’s in the United States and Britain

, with people and critics panning it in the beginning and then flourished during the 1960’s giving the art world a new dimension in an unprecedented way. It was characterized by the use of popular mass-produced visual commodities. All things mundane, or objects that were considered banal, were given a new life through pop art. It gave people a chance to look at objects that were more or less overlooked, in a lighter way.

Andy Warhol was one of the proponents of the pop art movement, along with contemporaries like Roy Lichtenstein, Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg, who set the stage to take over the world with their artistic sensibilities that ranged from works that became a social commentary on the American society to images that were just purely aesthetic and beautiful.

Andy Warhol was someone who was spoilt for choice. The course his artistic career took brings out his nature of trying different things, along with his love for all things beautiful and glamorous, which can be seen in his silkscreen portraits of Hollywood celebrities. From being an underdog prodigy at art school to a much sought after commercial illustrator, from an artist who worked like a machine at ‘the factory’ to an underground film-maker, from a photographer to an entrepreneur-Andy Warhol squeezed all of this in a lifetime, all of it unraveling like a Hollywood drama to me.

Home. Sweet home.

Only after you stay away from home for a while do you realise, how much you miss it. And in some way it gets manifested in your work as well. The influence of a place or rather home is always inherent in any artist’s work, be it writer or painter. Only now have I realised that all the bright colours I’ve used in my work over the past few months, has been influenced from the place I come from. The colour of the sea, the brightly coloured lorries, the Indo-Saracenic Architecture on beach road, the psychedelic posters of Tamil films or even the Sculptural Gopuram of the Kapaaleshwar temple-In some way or the other(actually, unconsciously), I seem to have heavily borrowed from a culture and place that I’m familiar with.

Something similar seemed to have happened to Warhol as well. Andy Warhol grew up in the industrial town of Pittsburgh in the 1920’s, which was synonymous as a devil’s workshop, because of the huge factories of coal and steel, which constantly spat out rings of fire. These huge balls of flame turned the night sky into bizarre shades of fuchsia and chartreuse-Colours that later became his favourites and he heavily used in his works.

All things beautiful.

One portrait that made Andy Warhol, what he was, was his Marilyn Monroe’s silkscreen prints (1962). Soon painted after she died, Andy Warhol used a publicity photograph by Gene Korman taken from the 1953 film Niagara. Instead of just having it silkscreened (a technique that he had mastered by now), he applied a good deal of paint, before silk-screening it. Outlining the shape of her head, shoulders, he painted in a background, then painted her eye shadow, lips, face before applying the silk screened image based on the black and white publicity head shot.^*

With each silkscreen he made, every portrait of Marilyn had a distinct look, because of the way the paint applied. In some it was more, in some, less. Every portrait revealing an aspect of her personality. While he was able to portray the legendary actresses’ beauty and sex appeal, he was also able to bring out the dark and mysterious side of her personality. He painted her not because of her beauty, but because he felt that he identified with her. Also, as to why he repeated the images, was in a way a commentary as to how even actors had become commodities in a heavily capitalist economy. All of them with a short public life or what Warhol called ‘fifteen minutes of fame’.

I experimented with an image inspired by Warhol’s Marilyn portraits; though it was in times that were fun and pleasant, and not circumstantial as in the case of Warhol. In trying to emulate his style, I came up with my own version of Marilyn Monroe. Nothing close to Warhol’s work, and not even using the silkscreen technique, this expression was just born out of spontaneity to create something colourful and bright. To me, it has become apparent, that in some way or the other, I’m connected to Warhol’s work, at least in spirit.

Morning at the beach. The local Marilyn Monroe. All in a day’s work, done using Photoshop. (Andy Warhol might be turning in his grave.)

Flashback.

Sometimes you just need that little spark to trigger off something- A small suggestion from your professor, images around you, something you read. Just that one thing for you, to get out of a block and start working on something. And sometimes during the process, you come across so many other things that help in shaping your creation. On a more personal note, taking up photography, not just as a hobby, but to the next level, has been a revelation in more ways than one. From not knowing the technicalities, to not knowing what to take pictures of and now having come to a point where I’ve established a comfort level with the camera, trying to look at things in several ways and taking pictures obsessively, it has been a process that has made me aware of my capabilities as a photographer.

Andy Warhol wanted to break free of the whole commercial illustrator mould. Though he was successful at it, he wanted to be an artist. Starting off with a series of paintings on cartoons like Mickey Mouse and Popeye, Andy Warhol found his calling, when a friend suggested that he start painting dollar bills. Soon after, he started painting the contents of his mother’s kitchen which included the ‘50 Campbell soup cans’, ‘100 Campbell soup cans’, ‘Coca-cola bottles’ (Summer1962), which were repeated. Repetition that could be seen in all his work was not something meaningless. He had been drawn to the repetition of images when he was a child and counted the sheets hanging out to dry on his way to school, saw its real meaning (that every sheet is different) as one of the essential lessons of looking.^* The Coca-cola and soup can paintings with their flat striking colours and finishing that looked machine like, echoed Warhol’s state of mind. In a way these images were also ironical of what the American society had become, owing to its consumerist nature.

The method.

In 1962, Warhol discovered a technique that would change his career dramatically. He was trying to find a quicker way to paint his dollar bills. Silkscreening was a medium that he used for the rest of his life. Silkscreening is a stencil process in which a photographic image transferred to a porous screen can be quickly duplicated on canvas by laying the screen on the canvas and applying paint or ink over it with a rubber squeegee.^*

Using this technique he made portraits of Elvis Presley, Troy Donahue, Warren Beatty, Natalie Wood, repeating the same picture over and over again in rows across a large colourful field.

The middle.

Andy Warhol liked all kinds of machines and gadgets, embracing new techniques and technologies, working with Polaroids, tape recorders, cassettes, but the heart of all his experimentation had as its central focus photography and silkscreen for making a painting.

Though he carried on with his silkscreen paintings, it reached a point of saturation .It was in the mid 1960’s that he began exploring the medium of film. A series of portraits of his, which showed that he was moving towards this direction was ‘Ethel Scull thirty six times’. Something different from what he had done earlier, this portrait was a new kind of look at a single human being from thirty-six different points of view. He created an image of a superstar out of a woman who could have been anyone.

Unlike the portraits he had done earlier, here each portrait is a different colour, without being multicolour. In a way, he’s achieved a perfect balance, without making it visually overcrowded. Also the colours in each portrait signify the various moods and expressions of the woman, who suddenly seems to have achieved a new status.

As a critical viewer of cinema, and as someone who would like to dabble in it, the kind of films that Warhol made, have never made any sense to me. Having barely watched two of his films (namely Lonesome cowboys and Blowjob), they look self-indulgent and whimsical. Though his films and screen tests created a revolution in the underground film culture, with the technique he used they were probably created to generate a shock. The films did not have any specific storyline, and he mostly allowed the actors to do whatever they wanted. I probably wouldn’t call them films, but they were rather his experiments with a medium, he was fascinated with. Also as a film-maker, I think you need to give certain credibility to your audience and not take their intelligence for granted.

The end.

What strikes me suddenly is how obsessively and manically Warhol worked. Something I can associate with. Once you latch on to something, you work on it obsessively, till you get exhausted or till you exhaust all the possibilities in the medium. What is inspiring, is his penchant for creating art using varied mediums, irrespective of whether people liked them or not. But, then he was also someone who wanted his work to be appreciated, seen in the beginning of his career as an artist. So in a way, appreciation or rather healthy criticism of one’s work, gives not only the encouragement, but also the opportunity to progress as an artist.

*-WARHOL, Victor Bockris, Penguin Books, 1989

Bibliography and References-· WARHOL-Victor Bockris, Penguin Books, 1989, Wikipedia

10 ways to kill earth-no.3

2009-09-29T20:24:00.002+05:30

jai durga...

2009-09-29T15:03:00.000+05:30

Candid

2009-09-29T15:00:00.001+05:30

think out of the box

2009-09-29T14:51:00.001+05:30

sickness

2009-09-29T14:42:00.003+05:30

cd cover assignment

2009-09-18T13:13:00.003+05:30

allen shaw

2009-09-17T14:08:00.002+05:30

pages from the little notebook

2009-09-15T14:05:00.000+05:30

pages from the little notebook

2009-09-15T14:01:00.002+05:30

ANIMATION FILM-DESIGNING THE LOOK

2009-08-29T15:15:00.002+05:30

2009-08-21T19:06:00.000+05:30

2009-08-21T19:02:00.001+05:30

2009-08-21T18:55:00.000+05:30

2009-08-21T18:36:00.001+05:30

Amdavad!

2009-08-19T20:55:00.003+05:30

India Falling

2008-12-01T17:40:00.004+05:30

The skies suddenly cleared. It seemed like they opened their eyes after a nightmare.Or that is what I had hoped for.
The phone and internet as usual got disconnected following the rains.Being glued to the television for hours witnessing the horrific events unfold in Mumbai, obviously made my problems feel less than trivial.I know that, me writing about it, will not bring back to life the innocent people who lost their lives, nor will I ever be able to comprehend of what people went through.Yet another reaction, from another faceless person.What disturbs me the most is that how can man kill man? Simply.Simply, for no reason at all.At a time, when we as a country need to stand up to this act of terror, we (or rather the people whom we believed were capable of doing something for this country) are busy playing blame games.
From now on, every minute spent outside, will have to be with fear, as to what lurks in some corner waiting to blow your life apart.The day isn't far-off, when human lives would just be mere numbers.....

.....

2008-06-04T15:26:00.003+05:30

The other side....

2007-06-06T21:43:00.001+05:30

Its just been a week since the exams got over, but it seems like its been ages and I already feel so bored, with nothing really to do, but I don't want complain.....Its ok to do nothing....Its fine, completely fine.......
Hopefully my life takes a complete 360 degree turn,next month...and that too for the good. I'll be interning at god-knows-some architect's firm for the next 4-5 months.I just don't want him to make my life hell, maybe I'll make his one!!!!!

My craziness for Konkona Sensharma keeps going up everyday. Its been said many times, but she is such a natural performer.Make her a dead body in a movie, and you can be sure that she'll infuse some life even into it.I totally loved her in metro.Saw it twice...Speaking of metro, I really think its one of the better films of the year. After the disappointing Salaam-e-ishq{where Nikhil advani completly lost track of all his stories, had some horrible editing problems} which had 6 love stories running parallely, director Anurag Basu gets it almost right in Metro. There are some loopholes, but the narrative is really crisp.It has some good performances as well, especially sharman Joshi, shilpa shetty, Irfan Khan and of course Konkona. The movie is worth a watch.
Oh....I'm in the fourth year now.....so just two more years for me to get out of this zoo of a college!!!!Our department has like the biggest namoonas on earth!! I just hope time flies by.....all this would just be like a bad dream, actually its a nightmare, and I would never remember it!!!!!...But thank god, that I have some really good friends,that college life seems that it is indeed not that bad, as I think it is. So thank you- ahaladini, anoodha,nanditha, poornima and sandhya......
And last semster has been really bad. The exams din't go well at all, I just want to PASS!!!! My design crit was so horrible, that I was almost on the verge of failing, and with a teacher, whose answer for a question as simple as" sir, do you think I've done badly?"would just be an "I don't Know, Maybe you've flunked", life just couldn't get any better.
I got to see some really good movies in the past two months. Cinema paradiso will make you fall in love with it, its a classic and makes you feel good by the end of it. Same with Amores perros and Volver. Mani Rathnam was cleary influenced by Alajandro Gonzalez Innaritu's Amores perros while making 'Yuva', though the stories are completely different, but the basic plot remains the same....an accident...and the lives of the people involved in it...before and after. Volver is this complete folk tale kind of a story, was such fun to watch. Its has an all women cast, with men as just mere sex objects. Two other movies I really loved watching- Alfred Hithcock's rear window and Steven Spielberg's Schindler's list----AMAZING!!!!
There were some disappointing one's as well, Especially Richard Linklater's Fast Food Nation, which is about, what happens when a fastfood organization finds out that the pattie in the burger they serve, actually has shit in it. It could have been so much better, but too many sub-plots,just kill the movie. Same with Running with scissors. This movie just doesn't know whether it supposed to be funny or serious, its just too weird, with too many disturbed characters in it!!!....I don't know whether I liked this movie or not- brokeback mountain.The way the movie is shot, completely blows you away. Every frame looks like a postcard picture. Its shot beautifully!!

2007-05-30T18:08:00.000+05:30

life's always been unfair....but who cares..........!!!!

2007-03-04T20:38:00.001+05:30

life is so disappointing.........

marriages are full of surprises.......

2007-02-24T18:13:00.002+05:30

Honeymoon travels pvt.ltd. isn't the usual kind of cinema bollywood keeps churning out. Debutant director, Reema Kagti, tries out something new, not moving away from the bollywood movie format, and is quite impressive. But don't expect any masterpiece,its a movie which will make you feel nice at the end of it.
So, there are six couples going on a packaged honeymoon to goa, which spans 4 days.It gives us an insight of how the lives of these 12 people unfold during their honeymoon,the revelations they face, and how at the end of it, they come out as changed individuals.
Where the movie gets full marks, is in the characterisation. They seem like real people, nothing overly dramatic.The way the movie is narrated is quite novel, with a radioshow unfolding flashbacks of each of these characters.And all these flashbacks are shot in black and white, each of them supported with a number from an old hindi movie.But, some parts the director really had no idea of what to do, especially the Sandhya Mridul-Vikram Chatwal story, she really loses it. The movie has some really good dialogues by Anurag Kashyap.
Kay Kay Menon and Raima sen are superb.I din't expect Raima to be so good-- the part where she goes para gliding in a saree, and another one, where she beats up some goons, are extremely hilarious !!!Ranvir Shorey and Dia Mirza are also good, but sadly their parts are so small,especially Ranvir Shorey,who's really got into the skin of his character, is not in the movie after the first 20 mins.Its sad, that Dia Mirza, always ends up getting teeny-meeny roles in movies. Boman Irani and Shabana Azmi, are just such naturals, they play their parts really well. So is Sandhya Mridul, she too plays her part well.But its not the same,with Vikram Chatwal.Minnisha Lamba and Abhay Deol are also really impressive as the always happy-we-don't -fight couple--Their's is the part where the director takes full cinematic liberty,and its quite enjoyable.Amisha patel(pinky, literally) and Karan khanna are ok.
The movie has three songs, and all of them sound really good, especially Halke Halke and Sajnaji Vari vari. Pyar ki yeh...Is extremely well shot, with Abhay and Minnisha doing the Tango amazingly!! With a running time of 2 hours,the movie is Worth watching....

times of insignificance......

2007-02-07T16:46:00.000+05:30

I really do not know what to write about....just have some random thoughts, which, if put down..would surely not make a good read....and the past few weeks have been really boring..nothing really significant's happened ..life's become so mundane....
which means that I talk about my favourite subject>>>>>movies....
let's see...I finally got to see babel....have been waiting to watch from the time it premiered at the cannes film festival...- really love the way the movie is shot..has a very raw feel to it...And even the way, the 4 stories are connected is really good....The story starring Adriana barraza(who's got a best supporting actress nomination for the oscars), Gael Garcia Bernal is the best of the four stories--brilliant execution and excellent performances.This movie is totally worth a watch.
Little children--Another really good movie, -- because of the way the movie ends....and also because of the way its narrated.When you watch it, you'll think its one of those movies, which'll take the cliched path, but it completely surprises you in the end.Kate winslet(who's been nominated for the best actress for the oscars) turns in a really good performance.So does,Jackie Earle Haley(nom.for best supporting actor).The movie at once seems funny..sometimes serious..sometimes stupid...sometimes quirky....a thought provoking film.
Junebug --I liked this one too,because its movie about people, just the way they really are, no strings attached,Something like how sideways was.Amy Adams, who plays this I'm-always- happy character, gives a really good perfromance, especially her breakdown scene towards the end..she's amazing.
I think all the three movies are worth a watch, so catch them if u can....

Adieu.....

2006-12-31T20:07:00.001+05:30

I updated with 3 posts...so please try reading all three of them......

Looking back at this year, I'm left with bitter-sweet feelings, mostly bitter..I think.But I don't think everything was so bad, there were some good things as well.But its been a year full of revelations about so many thing in life.
People, especially.I Don't know...I might be judging..But so manypeople have changed and that to for the worse.I think I just end up giving too much importance, to some people.I've remained true to myself and haven't/will never change/d come what may!!!!t
Something I'm really happy that I did was to actually go on the 15 day tour, without whining!!(we covered Agra, Delhi, Jaipur,Jaisalmer,Jodhpur,Udaipur and Ahmedabad)..I totally loved Jaisalmer(the camel ride in the desert was the highpoint) and Jodhpur( the Meharangharh fort is the most magnificent piece of architecture).The other places I had already been to(except jaipur), but loved visiting them again, especially Ahmedabad,one of the cities I really love, and have good memories about.The whole tour as such,wasn't that good...I mean.. there was so much tension around..the atmosphere was sour....and situations to a certain extent turned awry!!!But on the whole, it was a really enriching experience.
It was during this tour, that my bond with a few of my classmates really strengthend!!(especially sandhya and anoodha, anoodha..I'm actually having second thoughts...)--During our stay in Delhi, when I was in so much pain and was not feeling well at all, my classmates were so helpful and 'caring'(maybe caring is not the correct word, it looks a bit out of palce....but will manage with it...)I thank them a lot!!!!!Especially---Ahaladini, Sandhya, Shylesh(who still thinks, I was acting!!! Moron!!!!), Faheem,Abhishek,Sudheer(Who took me to the doctor at midnight when it was raining bloody heavily!!!)..charles,..everyone.Every single person...thank you so much!!!!
The Village case study experience, has been the best so far, and there'll be nothing to beat it...eventhough we'll still have our usual case studies to go for!!!..But we had the maximum amount of fun, only 27 of us and 2 teachers...waking up till late in the night and jabbering away, catching up with a stupid tamil movie at a nearby theatre....This is one trip I'm really going to cherish!!!!!
Zonasa at Trivandrum, wasn't that great an experience, though I think the place is beautiful!!!..The saddest part was that..I took part in so many competitions..and didn't win a place in any...So now I've decided never to take part in competitions.Because they never work for me!But the last day at Trivandrum, was fun...We went to this palce, the name of the place I'm not able to recall...it was by the seaside...it was fun!!!!
I don't really think..there was anything else, significant which really happened...let me see....Am I missing out on something.....No..Not really...
The year's ended on a good note(thankgod for that!!!!)...There's a new entrant in our family, I have a baby cousin brother(god!!! Its 20 years younger to me!!!I feel like an uncle to it!!!)......
Hopefully the next year..something significant (i'e. something good) happens......SEE..I'm being optimistic for once..........I'm really looking forward to continue this journey, full of surprises and endless possiblities.....

When aishwarya looked like hrithik ki amma-movies,movies and more movies...........

2006-12-31T12:00:00.000+05:30

I just wanted to do a post on the 10 best hindi movies of 2006(not 10 actually...), so here it is......I missed so many good ones, especially dor, woh lamhe, kabul express....at the moment these are the three movies I can think of....Hopefully I get to watch them sometime soon. So here goes my list......

10. Don----Only beacuse shahrukh's there in it.That's it.Totally overated and boring.

09. Dhoom2---This movie is soley watchable only because of hrithik.He dances so well,and in a certain way uplifted the movie,eventhough he really had nothing to do.Aishwarya looked like hrithik ki amma, and proved again that she cannot act, if given such kind of roles,and shows such plasticity( her best ever performance has been in raincoat).Abhishek(the only reason I guess Aishwarya did the movie!!!) really needs to buck up--what was he doing in the movie???? Its very sad that actors like Bipasha(though she looked sexier than aishwarya) and Uday chopra were totally wasted.

08.Corporate---I thought it was a very novel concept, though not as gripping as madhur bhandarkar's earlier movies(my friends totally hated this movie,telling that it was highly pretentious!).Bipasha Basu performed really really well.

07.Golmaal---A total laugh riot.With some really good performances by paresh rawal, sharman joshi,tusshar kapoor and arshad warsi, the movie was total paisa vassol!!! Ajay devgan, whom I don't really like, also turned in a decent performance.
one more movie at no.7-----Kabhi alvida naa kehna---I really like this movie.Everyone went on about how stupid and idiotic the movie was,maybe they din't understand the movie, that's why.Though shahrukh was a bit too grumpy and whiny, Priety was wasted, so was Amitabh Bachchan.Abhishek was ok, and Rani was good, so was Kirron Kher(I don't think anyone even noticed her!!)I think it was a very commendable effort by karan johar.He told a different story, not moving away from his signature style of film making.

06.fanaa---The story was nothing great, nor did the movie try to say.."oh see, I'm different"..It was just pure bollywood entertainment.Kajol and Amir khan turned in a good performance,and that's the only reason I loved the movie.

05.Gangster----Another really different movie with some really good music. I really liked the end, and the performances too were good.

04.Omkara-Director Vishal Bharadwaj's adaptation of Othello, was almost near perfect, though I felt that Vivek oberoi, was toally lost, the main character din't look like he was playing the title role, and the language, though highly authentic, was difficult to understand,at times.Otheriwse the movie is flawless.The performances by Saif Ali Khan, konkona sensharma, kareena kapoor and Bipasha Basu were really good.
One more movie at no.4-----Mixed Doubles---Another movie which totally went un-noticed, Maybe because people termed it as parallel cinema...and blah blah blah......I think the performances were brilliant, the movie was made realistic,though the subject isn't, it was really quirky and funny.

03.Rang De basanti---Its one of the classics of contemporary Indian cinema. And the fact that everyone connects with it at a certain level,is where the novelty of the movie lies.And the performance by the ensemble cast is really good. I loved Alice Patten....

02. Lage raho munnabhai---Another movie, with which people connected easily.Brought back Gandhian values into the limelight.It seriously did make a difference, and the movie wasn't trying to be preachy at any point.It was this fultoo bollywood movie, with a social message, that left you smiling......

01.Yun hota toh kya hota---The reason why I consider this as the no.1 movie of the year, is that movies like rang de basnati, lage raho.....got all the credit they deserved, but sadly this movie, which was DIFFERENT in every sense of the word, went totally un-noticed, and wasn't even given its due credit!!!People go on saying,how they think Naseeruddin shah is a fine actor and blah..blah..., but I bet they wouldn't have seen this masterpiece of a movie made by this brilliant actor.Though there are a few mistakes, the movie is still very good!!!!The performance by the ensemble cast, is so so good!!!!..Especially konkona Sensharma, Ratna Pathak Shah, Paresh Rawal,Ankur khanna.....So for me this has to be the no.1 movie of the year.

There were other movies as well, not in hindi though---especially 15 park avenue( another masterpiece by aparna sen), antar mahal(I'm toally amazed at the kind of subjects rituparno gosh deals with, in his movies.)aaaaannnnd........I think that's it..I'm not able to think of more..

! see you

2006-12-29T21:50:00.000+05:30

ok.....I want to kill myself for watching this movie!!!..I decided to go on this blind date thing which is on at sathyam. They premiere a new movie every thursday, except you don't know which one!!!!..I was hoping it would be a really really good english movie, but somewhere down the line I did guess, its going to be 'I see you', because it was the only movie releasing this week....but sometimes its not necessary that they premiere the same movie releasing that week.
After a delay of more than half an hour, and after those really idiotic nalli-kumaran-lalitha jewellery ads......I had to settle for this idiotic movie!!!!!Just one scene later, you know this movie is inspired(actually not even inspired....copied) from just like heaven.(I've not seen the movie,but know what the story is.)Except that just like heaven would have atleast been funny because of reese witherespoon, this movie tries too hard to be all feel-good and funny!!!!
I don't know what prompted Arjun Rampal to produce this movie!!!Its not even original!!..And his acting ..even a piece of wood can emote better than him.....but he looks good..that's it!There are just very few scenes here and there which are well executed.I think the cinematography was good....the music- ok.
New find vipasha(the girl whom only arjun can see in the movie,and no one else can) looks so weak and meesy(if there's a word like that?!).Other actors are totally , totally wasted. Brilliant performers like kirron kher, sonali kulkarni..really have nothing to do in the movie at all!!!!!!!!Even Boman Irani is wasted.Chunky pandey is ok till a certain extent!!!!What was sophie chowdhary doing in this movie????Then there's a hopeless British police officer who always speaks in hindi(even on BBC when he is being interviewed!!!!)...There are somany things done carelessly in the movie..somethings are left unexpalined.
Just for a little bit of relief, there's Sharukh and Hritik in the opening song of the movie....That was the only saving grace in the whole of the 2 and half hours of the time I wasted!!!!!!!!!!!!

The holiday

2006-12-18T11:27:00.000+05:30

Its been almost a week into the holidays and...its becoming boring boring and more boring, as each day goes by!!!!!!..I've been on an all time low,feeling depressed...I was planning I would do this and do that,during the holidays...but something's stopping me from doing them!!!..There'sNASA coming up next month,and there's a case study to be done.....but I'm in no mood to work...and obviously I'm not INTERESTED!!!!!Its been ages since I had a nice holiday and I cant even remember the last time I had the perfect holiday..away from this stupid place!!!!!!I just wish I could go off on a holiday to the himalayas..or maybe just mussoorie...or kolkota...!!!!Get cosedup in your room,with a view of the mountains from the window,a hot cup of tea,and a nice book to read...........!!!!Only in my dreams!!!!!And I desperately want to try river rafting,eventhough the heavy water currents might carry me away......Anything...but this stupid stupid place!!!!I wanted to watch so many movies....not even watched one!!!!All I've been doing is sitting at home!!!!
But anyway, I've been reading,rather slowly...I started off with Rohinton Mistry's A fine balance....A really good book..though I was bit skeptical in the beginning thinking it would be a depressing book!!!!I'm half way through it....Its about four people, how circumstances bring them together,and their little or big or whatever struggles-all this against the backdrop,when the state of internal emergency was declared.And the other book english,august by upamanyu chatterjee, I just started reading yesterday,because I thought a fine balance was getting too heavy.English,august is this really quirky book, about a man agastya sen, who is a civil servant posted in a very small town called madna...has anyone heard of it?I think I'll finish reading this book first....
And I did watch a few movies, old ones that is....
I saw mixed doubles---really really funny,deals with wife swapping, and I've never seen a movie deal with such a subject, in a such a light and subtle manner!!!Brilliant acting by Konkona and ranvir shorey-as the dumb and desperate husband!!!
Then,Yun hota toh kya hota---a masterpiece of a movie, totally under-rated..god only knows when it released and when it was taken off theatres!!!such a pity that good movies like these dont even get due credit.Anyway, The way naseeruddin shah narrates the four stories,and the way they intersect to culminate towards a tragic end, is brilliant.Brilliant acting by everyone...and I loved konkona!!!:)
Omkara----I liked this movie, but I thought it was a bit weird....And the language the actors speak in, is so difficult to understand...one word,highly undersatandable and profusely used in the movie-chutiya-the hindi equivalent of fucker,I think.....This could be the only hindi movie in which it is used somany times......a very interesting and important fact, right???The movie soley belongs to saif....You feel like ajay devgan is playing his sidekick,eventhough he plays the title role.Vivek oberoi is totally lost.Kareena is good,so is konkona,especially in her first scene in the movie,she speaks the dialect really well.Bipasha is also good in the two songs and three or four scenes...she gets to do.
So, this is how I think I'll be spending the rest of my holiday....reading and dreaming about the himalyas....and add a little bit of konkona to it,as well......
psssst.....The Holiday-----a new hollywood movie starring kate winslet,cameron diaz,jude law(hate him!!!!) and jack black...looks like a perfect movie for the holidays....badly want to see it....:-(

I don't care

2006-12-13T19:42:00.000+05:30

I don't care, whether anyone's even bothered to read this post......its totally written for my satisfaction.

I wanted to do a post on my favourite bollywood actresses, so here it is.....

konkona sensharma

Totally totally love her. I'm totally smitten by her. A complete natural, slips into any character easily,let it be, that of a schizoprehnic in 15Park avenue,or the Tam-brahm in Mr.&Mrs iyer

or that of a distressed housewife in yun hota toh kya hota or the page3 journalist in page3 ....I can go on watching her movies any number of times.She totally looked gorgeous in the rushes of rituporno gosh's Dosar.I just wish I could get to watch all her movies, sadly very few them actually release.

watch out for her in: metro, sunglass, traffic signal,chudiyaan

Vidya Balan

Another timeless beauty and a brilliant performer. Contrasting characters, in her debut parineeta and lage raho munnabhai, proved what a versatile actress she is.

watch out for her in: guru, salaam-e-ishq, eklavya, hey baby!

Rani mukherjee

Another brilliant actress, who just keeps getting better and better in every film.

watch out for her in: ta ra rum pum pum, saanwariya,chudiyaan

Kareena kapoorPeople say she looks like a pig, is like this, is like that...blah blah blah.... But I think she's gorgeous.Maybe she did make a few wrong choices-like the totally forgetabble main prem ki...where she totally overacted, but then there was chameli,where I think she was charming, I even liked her in her small role in don.

watch out for her in:mr mehta & mrs. singh, lajjo, hopefully no more movies with shahid!!!!

ayesha takia

I don't know, but I think she's totally cute and charming.She's been totally underutilised in most of the movies she's acted in, except maybe dor, which I sadly missed!!!

watch out for her in: salaam-e-ishq, no smoking

Kajol

A totally bindaas actress!!!No one could have matched her,for the kind of performance she gave in K3G, and she was totally beautiful in Fanaa. I think, she should do something substantially different now, off the commercial realm, which will prove her as a brilliant actress, eventhough she is one.

watch out for her in: god know's what!!??? there are speculations that she might do ajay devgan's directorial debut.lets see.....

main madhuri dixit banna chahati hoon- PART 2

2006-11-21T11:39:00.000+05:30

Read on, though its not about any struggling actress.....

I just suddenly remembered about this phase in my life...This was after my tenth boards,and it went on for one and a half months!!!!How I hated that time.......
So off I was to Hyderabad immediately after my boards.All I had dreamed was of only rest, lazying around and not doing anything AT ALL!!!! But a pest, that my father sometimes is, kept pestering me to join some idiotic class or the other. Why dont u play some sport? or why don't you for some PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT class!???? So quickly my uncle went through the classifieds and found out about some 'pershonality' development class, other than which they would teach you horse riding and car driving(which was never taught!!!) And ultimately it turned out to be one of those stupid stupid acting classes!!!!!My uncle irrespective of what they were going to teach just pushed me into it.....and there I was stuck between a bunch maniacs...rattofying some stupid sunny deol dialogue!!!!
First the teacher- Akram Shah- a wannabe actor-in every sense!!! I mean no one would even take him in a villian's role , this not to degrade him, but still....he should have looked at his thopda...then he would know!!
Then the students....god god god.....what characterssss*heavy punjabi accent*...a producers wannabe son,another who had just flunked his 12th exams, two parsi bawas-one trying to act another learining photgraphy,onemore trying desperately to learn the nuances of direction,another who ran away from his home in Bihar,one more who was trying to be and look like hritik roshan and from nowhere two more tapkofied oneday- a lady and another guy, working in some IT company or somewhere else I guess...And there I was, trying to reason out why I was even there in the first place???!!!!And the classes would be early morning 8 am!!!! Imagine getting up at 7, even during holidays!!!
Then there was the dreadful exercise of actually acting in front these people...And the first dialogue given was a heavy duty sunny deol dialogue..which was all about the kaanoon...about behan ki izzat....bhai ko maarna....and god knows what else??!I so couldn't do it...I so had a problem with yelling....and then all I would do was spit, while trying to say the dialogue!!!!But, after sometime I actually(??) started giving in....trying to enjoy whatever was being done..We would always have to improvise on situations- like I was given a ek chotisi love story kind of situation where I was falling in love with an older woman(that lady),and she is about to get married, and how confess and tell her that I will do anything in the world to keep her happy...and once I had to even sing tujhe dekha toh ye..... and move around with her- bollywood style...yuck yuck yuck...which was so embarassing!!!...Once we were all asked to act like drunkards, which I miserably failed at, and once we were just simply asked to laugh loud...which I so cannot do simply for no reason at all!!.....And I've learnt..that it is bloody difficult to act!!!!!!There are so many more situations like this, that the post would be never end!!!!
But the whole experience was so fascinating.I really got to meet 'different' people and I'm so surprised at the dedication and extremities people can go upto...I mean, take Akram shah...He dropped out of college, just to be an actor-He was never seen in any movies, maybe, will never be or I'm just wrong....but is so dedicated- when I especially saw him dancing on broken pieces of glass!!!!Same for the other guys in the class with me, they all had their minds set that they wanted to become actors-though I've not seen a single person, whom I knew in the class, on television or on the big screen. I was the only misfit there......And then I don't know what happened?? I just left those classes, because I had to get back to namma chennai.....but the classes still go on....I checked it in the papers the lastime I went to Hyderabad.......

finally.......

2006-11-04T18:29:00.000+05:30

Finally, one big 'gandam' is over.We had our crit on thursday,and god only knows what happened.More than a month's work is finshed off, in 2 minutes!!!! *sigh* Hopefully I've got decent marks.Now, there are semester exams coming up, which is even a bigger 'gandam'!!!!!why should we go through this every five months!!!!!!!?I hate this.........
I saw Don last week and Jaan-e-man today. Don was so boring, so boring......that I was almost about to dose off, until the so called " new twist" was revealed before the interval, and I was left wondering what was going on. Somany things are unwanted in the movie,and it just slackens the pace of the so called"thriller".Sharukh's career at this point is stagnant, anything he does these days isn't different from his previous movies. He's should something drastically different(swades was the only movie,where he wasn't over the top.) ,explore his acting facets more....maybe he should play a eunuch in a movie..!!!! I think, the end was the only saving grace of the movie. But, I still like Sharukh.:-)
Jaan-e-man, was a surprise.A good one.Its the usual 'trikon' love story, but its the way its told which is so so so.. refreshing. Its a musical of sorts. Preity Zinta looks beautiful.Salman and Akshay act so well.Except that, the second half was a bit too long. The could have done away with one song and few scenes. This movie, for sure is hundred times more entertaining than Don.But sadly this movie is overshadowed by Don,so it wont be very successful.But, if you are looking out for some really nice entertainment, watch this movie, its worth it.

life or something like it....

2006-10-20T18:18:00.000+05:30

I think I'm losing it!!!! I'm losing my sanity....my life seems to be going haywire......ok..that's a bit too exaggerated..but still..yes!..my life seems so still right now...so boring....and in the middle of my stupid design presentation, I suddenly have insecurities...about things i don't won't to discuss, but since i have to whine..... Somtimes feelings of lonliness creep up,sometimes its what if I'm left behind in life???? Is it worth giving importance to people, whom you actually care about ??God!!!! I only wish I could be more postive in life.....I don't know why I keep harboring thouhts like these. I think I should just let go of some things in life, and never think about them at all.Maybe its just temporary, but still.But when there are such good friends like sandhya, ahaldini{the agony aunts}, nanditha,poornima{the advisors},anoodha{the listener}....I needn't worry....I know they'll always be there for me...:-)
aaah...now,that leaves me with some good thoughts....... *there are other people too,but i just cant write about every one....*
I just finished Kiran Desai's hullabaloo in the guava orchard.It was a nice book and fun reading. I really want to read her booker prize winning novel the inheritance of loss.
I saw lots of movies too.....
United 93- A good movie, though it could have been edited better.
Constant gardener- really loved it..one of the best thrillers I've seen in recent times
Water-Sadly the Indians didn't even support this masterpiece of a movie....The movie is never going to see daylight in India,it'll surely be banned.I really liked it.
The prize winner of defiance,ohio-A nice feel good movie.Julliane moore's adorable.
murmur of the heart- The story, I think was a bit screwed up, but it doesn't really have a storyline,its just a slice of life.It follows the life of a precocious adoloscent boy. The movie is brilliantly directed....and its french.

say anything......

2006-10-02T19:32:00.000+05:30

god.....It's been a long boring weekend....like you feel there's nothing to do, but there's so much work. I just ended up wasting half my time, when there's an important submission coming up.

Anyway, I got to see three movies, and good ones at that.

First, hazaaron khwaishein aisi. This is truly a brilliant movie and is worth all the appreciation it got. The movie leaves you with a feeling of content.It is set in 1970's India when naxalism plagued rural India and the political scenario was turbulent. Admist all this, is the story of siddharth(k k menon),geeta(chitrangada singh) and vikram(shiney ahuja)-three college friends-about what they pursue and where their destinies lie.I just love chitrangada singh. she's a brilliant actress and has this certain charm to her...that you instantlylove her!!!! But sadly,she's quit acting (just aftertwo films, the other one being kal) kk and shiney also do a good job....but I'm smitten by chitrangada's beauty....

Second, say anyting... I don't know why I picked up this cd, but anyway the movie was fun to watch. Its the usual run-of-the-mill stuff, but it is the way its told, that lends the movie its charm. Its one of those teenage love stories sans all the frills, told with a lot of simplicity.It stars John cusack(who starred in the dumbass movie-serendipity), Ione Skye(never even heard of her, btw her name's pronounced like this-eye-oh-nee!!! sky) and John mahoney(who the hell is he???).But the movie is worth a watch.

Third, ahista ahista. This could well be the most un-noticed(under-rated,maybe..) movie of the year. The story is told with such simplicity, that you just fall in love with it and the characters in it. Abhay deol and Soha ali khan make an amazing pair. Soha is an actor to look out for,and so is abhay. The movie takes its own time, establishing the characters, story and other things....and I think that's how it was meant to be- ahista ahista......The climax of the movie is such an anti-climax, but its inevitable and that's what makes the movie different. The background score is good, and this is another movie after fanaa,in which different historical monuments form the backdrop,and are beautifully shown. The movie is really worth a watch, if you do not mind slow paced movies.

2006-10-02T19:08:00.000+05:30

"Bravery is not a quality of the body, it is of the soul."

-Mahatma Gandhi

happy birthaday bapu..

A cool love story...?????

2006-09-12T18:06:00.000+05:30

It's very rare that I watch tamil movies...But anyway, this time it was fun. All of us decided that we would bunk the afternoon session of college...and everyone was desperate to watch 'sillnu oru kaadhal'( I wasn't!!!).Our destination- sathyam..but someone called up sathyam to find out that no tickets were available....so we had to settle for "Theyagaraja"(pronounced deeeeyaagaraja)...Actually, it wasnt all that bad...I mean the theatre...Oh! The movie...lets talk about the movie....
I wasn't expecting anything much from the movie...the reviews had already told how the movie was a let down and blah blah....The story isn't anything extrordinary...to me it seemed lika a hotch-potch of different movies. So this how it goes....happily married couple..with a child, ofcourse...one fine day, wife discovers husband's old diary...and voila....he has a past....and his past has a woman....aaahh...and then what happens???...watch the movie for that!!!..I did!!!
The way the movie was promoted, made it look all promising..Atleast the posters looked chic. The movie is only good in parts.I think the actors performed well...everyone's character is well etched, be it surya, jyothika or bhoomika. Except for vadivelu's annoying comedy, which seriously slackens the pace of the movie....and it doesn't help the story at all!!!...The director tries to make the movie look very simple and realistic in parts and very filmy in some parts....he should have followed just one format, and he could have presented it in a better way.
The music is good. I really liked two songs- new york nagaram( I think jyothika looked nice in this song.) and there's another duet between surya and bhoomika...all I could hear in the song was rangooo.....rangoli......nonetheless, it sounded good!!
So... watch the movie if you want to.

Lage raho……….

2006-09-02T20:48:00.000+05:30

Bole toh…..I really do not know how to start off this post!?...Finally…..!!! I’m posting something after 2 months…all thanks to my stupid computer!!!!
Anyway, I got to see lage raho munnabhai today….and I really loved the movie!!! All I was hoping for was that, it should be as good as the previous one and a paisa vasool movie, and it was!
What’s good about this movie is that, eventhough it deals with social issues,it doesn’t end up becoming preachy at any point!!!And it does make you think. Its a breeze of a movie, I mean, you really wouldn’t get bored of it how many ever times you watch it, which is a rarity in today’s movies.
So, its another episode in the lives of munna and circuit. Not giving much away…. Munna (sanjay dutt) is in love with RJ jhanvi’s (Vidya balan) voice,and wants to desperately meet her. So he does, after he wins a contest, where he answers a few questions on Gandhiji(with help, ofcourse!!). And how one thing leads to another forms the rest of the story. The way Gandhiji’s character is woven into the whole narrative is too good.

Sanjay Dutt sits so comfortably in munnabhai’s skin..he’s just natural. And without circuit, how can there be munna?? Arshad Warsi is really good! Both together have got the funniest-cheesiest lines in the movie, and the way they emote, is brilliant! And Vidya Balan as the RJ….god…she’s so beautiful.Though she doesn’t have to display too much of her histrionics….I mean….she’s just meant to be natural…she does it so well. She is one actress who is here to stay. Dilip prabhavalkar’s performance as Gandhiji is brilliant.The only actor, who I think was a misfit in the ensemble was Boman Irani. He’s not able to evoke that much laughter, as he did in the previous munnabhai movie. But nonetheless, his performance is commendable. Dia mirza in a small role is really sweet!!! There are a host of other actors as well, who do a very good job.

oh....and the music is also good!! Especially the song pal pal.......shreya ghosal sings it beautifully!! And for once songs do not just pop-up from somewhere…they really form a part of the narrative. This movie should really not be missed!!!

director: Rajkumar Hirani

cast: sanjay dutt, arshad warsi, vidya balan, dilip prabhavalkar,

boman irani,dia mirza, jimmy shergill, khulbhushan kharbanda,saurab shukla

and obviously.....abhishek bachchan!!

music: shantanu moitra

screenplay: rajkumar hirani, abhijat joshi, vidhu vinod chopra

Tin fish

2006-06-23T18:52:00.000+05:30

So there we were,

Fish,Porridge, PT shoe and I, brandy.

We were brothers

without barriers,friends

until death.

(sudeep chakravarti, tin fish)

I’ve been reading Shantaram for a very long time, and I managed to finish half the book and decided to take a break!! I mean, this book is really amazing…but you have to just allow some of the things to sink into you...slowly. Its so filled with life, everyone’s got something to learn from it….or atleast absorb from it or whatever you want to!!
I had heard about this book called tin fish (its by this first time writer called Sudeep Chakravarti), so off I was to landmark, to buy it!! Its such a breeze thing to read man!! This book talks about life, just as it is, through the eyes of a fifteen year old. The story is set in Mayo college, Ajmer, during the 1970’s. Its about four friends- Brandy, Fish, PT shoe and Porridge, their experiences, their take on life, politics, on growing up, on zeenie baby and her boobs, on the piss drinking prime minister, about Indira Gandhi……above all, about friendship, through the happiest and turbulent times. This book is so well written, it keeps you engrossed throughout.. Sometimes its hilarious.. sometimes its serious.. Its fast paced and never do you get bored. I truly enjoyed reading this book. A must read!!
So…,back I am to Shantaram… who right now..let me see…is into the illegal passport business….
Oh…has anyone listened to the songs of kabhi alvida na kehna??? Isn’t the music good??? All the songs sound really good, but I like two songs a lot….especially, the title track, which is slow and soothing, and mitwa, which has this feel of the song sayyoni(junoon) and songs by euphoria, but has an identity of its own. Really cool music by shankar-ehsaan-loy!!

shutdown

2006-06-21T22:23:00.000+05:30

I really am thinking of shutting down this blog..I mean barely 2-3 people only read it!!I write so much and everyone just seems too disinterested!!!!!!!!!!

memoirs…

2006-06-18T15:33:00.000+05:30

You know, I just realised that I give way too much importance to certain things and ..certain people in life. All this to just get more depressed and worked up in life. The people whom you give importance to, might just see you as any one of those passers by in their life, and intentionally or unintentionally they just hurt you. It might be like the smallest things,but people around you might not realise what a difference it makes to you! It’s just an observation I’ve made in the past few days. So now, I think I should change myself as a person…only time will tell me whether it will be for the good or bad!!
And another thing I just learnt… that I am a very forgettable person. Last week me and Shishir went to school to meet the teachers. I was dreading that none of the teachers would remember me, and just comforted myself by thinking that atleast my class teacher- Uma ma’am would remember me. But I was totally wrong. She barely even recognised me, I mean… I could see it on her face, she was trying hard to place me…all she could tell was “are you from Nithya- Eshwaran’s batch.?”.!!! I was already on an all time low and this spoilt my day even more. Shishir just told me “You were just one amongst the others, so you really can’t expect her to remember you, you got to be like a celebrity, even at school.” Thankfully, atleast the other teachers like shakku, chitra ma’am, L.V, even G.P sir.. remembered me, especially Juno ma’am…I never really expected that!!...ok, this post really seems to be turning into one of my whining sessions…
I was watching memoirs of a geisha, the other day, for the second time. You never get bored, howmany ever times you watch it. The thing that really captivates you in the movie is its beautiful cinematography. Every frame is so beautifully shot, that it just leaves you spell bound. So much of importance is given to the minutest of details, it leaves you in awe. And it has some really beautiful background score. Though the book is (as always), better than the movie, this movie as far as possible, remains faithful to the book. The movie has beautiful women like Ziyi Zhang, Michelle Yeoh and Gong Li. Its like any one of those Cinderalla stories, but its so beautifully told. Its about how hope can keep you alive, even through the hardest of times and how it should never be given up.
“Whatever our struggles and triumphs, however, we may suffer them, all too soon they bleed into a wash, just like watery ink on paper.”
- Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha

breakaway aka google hai na yaar?! kaiku time bankhus karta hai....

2006-06-16T22:41:00.000+05:30

I search for words.
Words , to interpret my emotions…..
I search for a path.
A path ,to a faraway land…….
I search for myself,
Lost in a desert, full of illusions…
I search everywhere...
A search, as neverending as life could be,
A search, as long as hope would be.
A search, that would end in victory.
I search.....,and search....,
until the last rays of twilight settle on me.

2006-06-16T10:09:00.000+05:30

Right now, this just seems to be the perfect quote for the moment……

“One of the reasons why we crave love, and seek it so desperately, is that love is the only cure for loneliness , and shame, and sorrow. But some feelings sink so deep into the heart that only loneliness can help you find them again. Some truths about yourself are so painful that only shame can help you live with them. And somethings are just so sad that only the soul can do the crying for you.”
- ‘SHANTARAM’ Gregory David Roberts

Reunion.... of sorts

2006-06-14T18:39:00.000+05:30

Ok..!! I know this a bit late, to write almost a week after the reunion…but anyway..
It wasn’t really a reunion, because only 10 of us were present!!( a few are not even here,few not invited, some did not even bother to come, some too busy; some, we have no idea about….) So that’s not even half the class. Its all because of Shishir, that it was actually possible. He was the one who kept informing everyone and stuff.
We met up at this new place called coffee world ( Divya and me decided upon it). It felt really good meeting up after such a long time…I mean getting to know what everyone else is upto, meeting the ‘bade log’ like madhura, confirming whether rumours about others are actually true…etc etc.and everyone’s still the same as a person, just how they were in school!!( except that, now Divya has long, straight and shiny hair, god only knows what Shruti’s done to her hair…)
Shishir, as usual…so loud!! Goes on jabbering!!! Everyone…was like..god!!!you have gone down so much!!! Don’t you get food???It was really generous of him to pay extra…because suddenly some money went missing!! Madhura!! God!! She’s so full of energy….not that, she wasn’t like that in school…but still….she went on speaking non-stop, taking breaks in between to pop in some brown sugar. Nitya, Divya, Shruti ,me were just listeners…occasionally we would get a chance to open our mouths. Charenya,Deepika and Harini also dropped in for some time.
Anyway, it was really nice meeting up this time. People who weren't there: you were missed. Next time, hopefully the whole class meets up.

2006-06-11T20:30:00.000+05:30

WHITE HOPE

"I hadn't asked much from life. All I wanted was happiness..., an illusion so distorted and so far off, that I couldn't reach. All I could wait was for death..."
It was dawn. A new day. She lay on her bed staring at the ceiling. She would embark on a new journey, though it would be shortlived. She had this...,this hollow feeling in her stomach, something she had felt years before........

2006-06-05T12:20:00.000+05:30

Destroyed in Love

Fanaa isn't this masterpiece or anything, its just pure bollywood entertainment. Enjoy this 3 hour movie with some pop corn and cola.
The story isnt anything great or to go gung ho about, it works only because of magic that Kajol and Aamir khan create on screen. They keep you engaged throught the film and make the whole movie come alive. Kajol, is just sheer delight to watch . She isn't playing this over- the -top kind of characteras seen in K3G, here she's just more subdued and gives in a very controlled performance. She's too good at anything she does.Aamir too performs well! The type of transition his character goes through, the first half you get to see a more flirtatious side of him, with some really cheesy shayari thrown in,and the second half he's playing this more serious person, who is on a mission. It just shows what a versatile actor he is. The climax is too good.
Technically also , the movie is good , except for some cheesy special effects here and there, it could have been done more better and realistically. The first half of the movie is in Delhi, with all the historical monuments in the backdrop,and the second half is in Poland(which is passed off as Kashmir), are beautifully picturised. The music also sounds good, but only in the movie. All in all, nice movie to catch on a boring weekend afternoon.

directed by: kunal kohli
starring: kajol, aamir khan, tabu, rishi kapoor, kirron kher,shruti seth, gautami kapoor, shiney ahuja, lara dutta{doing a very stupid & senseless cameo), satish shah
music:jatin-lalit

2006-03-19T20:32:00.000+05:30

nothing to write about....
There's nothing really I can write about. Its only beacause Divya declared me dead, that has led me to take this drastic step.I have decided to rise from the dead!! What will I write about yaar??? I think my creative cells have died..not that I had any... but still!! Let me see.... I really do not know!! The only art i have really mastered has been whining.I could go on and on and on...
Anything could start me off.Just something which happened last week...-All my classmates were just talking about hw badly they were ragged and stuff...and in all excitement they decided that all of us would rag our juniors..and of all the things they told me that even I would have to rag!!!god!!Of all the things,this is what I had to do, to prove my worth and make a position for myself{according to sandhya!!}. Imagine me ragging!!! Anyway, I made an attempt. I asked one sad guy a sad question.. and tried acting all rude and bossy... god!! I think I've never let myself down like that...it was so sad!! After that, I really did not bother to do anything and was just looking at my classmates ragging! We were doing all this at bay stores.
few minutes later , bell rings!! So we all get back to our buses... and suddenly one of the junoirs, comes and tells us that we are in deep shit!{according to shanmugaraj,one of my classmates- we were in shallow shit!!} All, because one stupid girl goes and complains about us to her class teacher, he messages our class teacher!
Next day I decided not to go to college 'cos I was really tired!! Later in the morning, one of my classmates had messaged me saying that, the news had gone to the hod- hunterwali of the department, and that she had asked every person present that day, while ragging, to bring their parents!!!
god!!god!!god!!I must have died a million deaths that day!!I frantically started messaging my classmates...not even one of those morons replied and even if they did..all it was crap!! I so embarassed myself by sending stupid messages like i'm dying of a heart attack!!! wat did i do???i was only having my yummies!!!
stupidity!!! Now , I think things have died down!!....ok!! Now I really cant write..I'm bored!! and I hope I've succeded in boring all of you.

btw, I just saw 15,park avenue!! Its an amazingly maddening movie!!I'm totally smitten by konkona sen sharma- both, by her acting abilities as well as her beauty!!The ease with which she performs, whether its a comedy like mixed doubles or whether its a serious movie like this, she's just amazing!! A movie you should'nt miss.
ok! bye!

2006-02-15T18:05:00.000+05:30

RHAPSODY
A thought,
a feeling.
Of something unseen,
of something unheard.
That, which is lyrical,
That, which is mellow.
That......., what I look out for....
Here, the moment comes.....
Unperturbed, I remain,
to be coloured by one of life's many colours...

colour it saffron

2006-02-04T18:39:00.000+05:30

ek paav past mein, ek paav future mein, isiliye hum apne present par moot rahe hain...

At last, I got to watch the movie I was dying to watch! And it does not dissapoint. Rang de..... could be on its way of becoming a cult classic, because it is a movie which speaks of today; of how we keep telling that the political system is corrupt and do nothing about it, when its actually in our hands that we can make our country a better place to live in. It tells the story about how five young guys try to bring in a....... revolution in the political system, when a certain incident causes an awakening in them.The movie shows present day India exactly the way it is, how youngsters react anything to do with political issues etc.
Sue{Alice Patten} chances upon her grandfather's diary, who was a soldier of the Britsh army, during India's struggle for independance. In the diary described are few incidents and about people who gave their lives for their country.Having no one to fund for her documentary on Indian revolutionaries based on incidents written in the diary, she comes to India where her friend Sonia{Soha Ali Khan} helps her out.
Soon she finds her film's protagnists in Sonia's friends DJ{Amir Khan}, Sukhi{Sharman joshi}, Karan{Siddarth}, Aslam{kunal kapoor}and an extremist, Pandey{Atul kulkarni}. Initially, they just do not show any interest,telling how it does not fit into today's sensebilities and how nothing can really be done, to change India. Soon into the filming, and how one incident fuels them into taking drastic steps to change the system, is what forms the rest of the story.
The performances are just too good! Everyone's just perfect in their roles and believable. I've fallen in love with Alice Patten!! She's so good. And so is Soha, no one would have expected such a good performance by her! Aamir khan as usual performs well, especially the first half, and his chemistry with sharman joshi, too good!! Siddarth, adds this certain kind of mystery to his character, the subtility kunal kapoor adds to his character is truly wonderful. Kirron kher and Waheeda Rehman are just so lovable. Madhavan, in cameo is also effective. The cast also includes Mohan Agashe, Om puri and Anupam Kher.
Never do you feel that the movie is being preachy, the message is just straight forward!The music as everyone already knows is just amazing.This movie is a must see. true cinematic experience.

2006-01-31T20:52:00.000+05:30

kuch lamhe..kuch baatein...
Unka muskurana,
unka gungunana.
thandi hawaon ki narmi,
aasma mein jhilmilate taare,
paani ke leharon ki meethi awaaze,
ek naye humsafar ki raah mein,
wahaa duur tak dekhna.
kuch yaadein un choti baaton ki,
ek nai mod ki raah mein, zindagi ki ek naye pehlu
ko samajhna.........

2006-01-22T18:15:00.000+05:30

as the winds blow.........
As the winds blow,
there...., there far off in the woods I see a glow,
but there lie the uncertainities of which I don't know.
Could it be the green pastures I look out for,
or could it be a land full of hard snow.......
As the winds blow......
Here I am , looking for a destination,
full of hope and eternal glow.
as the winds blow.......

' kahaani ghar ghar ki'

2005-03-30T04:50:00.000+05:30

My grandmother who's come from Hyderabad is a television buff, but its understandable, since she has nothing else for timepass except the good ol tv! She doesn't miss a single programme! It all starts with kasauti zindagi kay{ in which the protaganists have atleast married 3 times!} at 8:30pm and goes on till 11:30pm till she watches a dumb saga about 5 sisters{ or god knows how many!} called kahin to hoga! She watches everything, name it and she watches it, from kksum{god knows how many more k's will ekta kapoor add!} to jassi...., from kahaani to kyunki! the list is endless! But yesterday, on one of the channels, her favourite serial 'kksum' wouldn't come because there was some other event they were showing! The way she reacted was sooooo.... funny! She was really upset because she couldn't watch the daily! aaj kal yehi hai 'kahaani ghar ghar ki, kyunki saas bhi kabhi bahu thi aur jassi jaisi koin nahin!'! {I know this is totally dumb and insane}:-]

The week that was..

2005-03-27T19:04:00.000+05:30

Last week was really meant only for taking rest and laze around.But luckily I got introduced to this blogging thing by Sandhya. Its really fun.:-} We had five days of holidays. The first two days, there were culturals at college, which I did not bother to go for, because I thought it would be boring! So I spent my time watching television ,television and more television! Speaking of television, I got to watch some really nice shows, Koffee with Karan and jai jawan!On koffee with Karan the guests were Priyanka Chopra and Arjun Rampal, and he asked them some really wicked questions. The best part of the show was the last segment where the guests were shown some wacky pictures of other actors, and they were supposed to tell what they would have been thinking at that point of time and it was supposed to be witty. I t was really fun watching it, so was the other show, jai jawan on NDTV. This time it was Kareena Kapoor who went to meet the jawans at Rajasthan border. It was was so good to see smiles on their faces, the way they enjoyed dancing with her! one of them asked kareena in a shy way, whether she would like to marry an army man or an actor. Shows like this make you feel happy. I even watched two movies over the week, Meet the fockers and my brother nikhil. The movies I want to watch next are Finding Neverland {Its about the author of Peter pan, J.M.Barrie played by Johnny Depp}and kaal {Sharukh's done an item number in the movie}.
have a nice week !

hmmmm....

2005-03-27T14:02:00.000+05:30

i really dont know wat to write about.... could someone give me ideas on what to write about, so that my posts are interesting and interactive! one of my friends told me to write about hw i am depressed and how i would want to suicide!god!!could anyone get so insane! so please throw in your ideas!!!

my brother....nikhil!

2005-03-26T15:35:00.000+05:30

le chalein le chalein,... yaadon ke yeh kaafile...............
"i care for my brother nikhil, do you?" This was something which generated a curiosity within me to watch this movie! Because every celebrity from rahul dravid to karan johar{who apparently cried after seein the movie!}, were vigoursly promoting the movie.
The story is about nikhil kapoor, a national level swimming champion, and how his world comes falling down when comes to know that something is terribly wrong with him!It also shows how parents disown their son over the society, when their son needs them the most.......nikhil basically deals with the social stigma associated with a disease like HIV/AIDS.It also shows how people suddenly change, just because a person is HIV+.The movie is set in the late 1980's and the early 1990's in the picturesque goa, when awareness about HIV/AIDS was not as much as it is now. The story is told in a series of flashbacks, which nikhil's family and friends disclose!it also touches upon many other topics like homosexuality, partiality of parents towards their children in such a beautiful way, that u just keep wondering! There are so many scenes which are so moving, especially when the police arrest nikhil{ because he is HIV+} and put him into a sanatorium, where the conditions are horrible, and where he has to spend two months!And even the scene in the climax! Everyone's performance is so good that u start thinking they are real people sharing a slice of their life with you! Sanjay suri as nikhil and Juhi chawla{anamika} as nikhil's sister give an award winning perfomance!some of the lighter moments in the film between the brother and sister are a joy to watch. so does the remaining cast, Victor Bannerjee { who gives in a very restrained perfomance}, Lilette dubey{ who keeps calling her son "my little child" and she brings out the pain a mother goes through, to disown her own child, so beautifully!} Purab kohli{nygil} as Nikhil's best friend also performs so beautifully! He is so true to his character! the other members in the cast are Gautam Kapoor, Shweta Kawaatra,Dipannita Sharma, Shayan Munshi, Peeya Rai Chowdhary. The most unique thing about the movie is that its so simple, without being preachy { like my classmate, Poornima}or whatsoever!Thumbs up to the the diector Onir whose not made the movie into cliche! And the song le chalein..... rendered beautifully by kk, sunidhi chauhan and shaan, is so good to listen to!This is surely the best movie i've seen after black and page3! Don't miss the movie, surely recommended!